Evangelion: Sovereignty
by Lord Sovereign
Summary: It is 2017 AD. Second Impact changed the world 17 years before by obliterating the old order. Since then, various Empires have sprung up and fought many blood soaked wars with one another. But now, with the coming of the Seraphim, they have no choice but to stand behind the secretive NERV, it's "Project E," and a 16 year old boy still grieving for his long lost mother...
1. 1:1 The world after Second Impact

" _Second Impact was a blessing disguised as disaster. It obliterated the weakness of the old world, and coaxed forth the strength of the new one. Were it not for this event, our Federation, the finest civilisation that has ever existed, forged by the genius of our great movement, would never have come to be."  
_ _ **  
Deputy Consul of the North American Federation Hector Roberts, 4th of July 2010, annual Los Angeles Rally.**_

The year is 2017, and the human race has only just recovered from the event that nearly undid it.

On the 13th of September 2000AD, through what was said to be a "meteorite impact", Antarctica was erased from the face of the earth, causing massive tsunamis, flooding, climate change, and an environmental catastrophe.

Thousands of species went extinct.

The Southern hemisphere was completely devastated, whilst the North crumbled into chaos.

This calamity, the end of the world as mankind knew it, would forever be known as the Second Impact.

With the collapse of the old order, the deaths of three billion, and the need for resources, the remnants of man were plunged into six long years of blood soaked war. As is commonplace in times of conflict, technological progression was accelerated immensely, which in 2005 resulted in the most important scientific discovery in history.

The A-T field, an unending source of raw energy. Through its ingenuity, humanity was able to tap into this power with the creation of the S2 engine, a device which could not only harness the field but channel it into a sturdy barrier.

Energy shields.

Every single other source of power and propulsion became obsolete and primitive in comparison over-night.

But the societies that would put this marvel to use...had hardly any noble intentions in store for it.

The new Empires born from the ashes of 20th century civilisation, are among the mightiest nations ever constructed by humankind.

Harsh powers for a harsh world.

Their armies number in the millions, untold legions of men and women clad in battle armour and wielding weapons that would make any pre-Impact assault rifles seem like party poppers.

The development of A-T field technology for military purposes continued to escalate, resulting in the creation of the N2 mine, a device that could atomise cities with no fallout, and the positron cannon, a weapon that unleashed the power of a small solar flare. .

The world's first true energy weapons.

But perhaps the most sublime example of man's technological prowess, were the mighty FCVs, or Flight Capable Vessels.

Known more commonly by their nickname, Sky Ships.

200 metre long flying gun platforms crewed by over a thousand men, armed to the teeth with rail guns and Jet powered VTOLs, the flying Dreadnoughts of the 21st century could annihilate entire regions.

True marvels of science. Even if they were for killing.

During the collapse of the old orders, it was the United States of America which perished first, only to rise again as the fascist super power that is the North American Federation.

Seeing themselves as the true successors of the ancient Roman Empire, a Master Race destined to dominate the globe, the Federals have crushed and enslaved the peoples of Central and North America.

As the"aquila" flag flies over Canada, Mexico, and the Federal Fatherland itself, the brave intellectuals who signed a declaration of independence in 1776 must weep in horror for what their once beautiful creation has become.

If the dead weep.

But the various "civitas" of the Federation do not encompass Alaska, or the old United States eastern seaboard.

For those belong to other powers.

The British Isles, the western coast of Europe, the sands of North Africa, the regained "thirteen colonies", and the rainforests of the Amazon, are all dominions of the Empire.

An autocratic state ruled by the Emperor and his council of Marshals, along with the nigh powerless Imperial Parliament who merely exists to give some semblance of democracy to its people, the Great British Empire is on track to exceed the "Old Empire" in size by 2020.

Britain has already fought in two massive conflicts, the "Euro-Imperial" and "Federal-Imperial" wars, emerging victorious from both. These victories are what have granted the Empire such vast territories, much to the hatred and fear of its neighbours.

Europe is just as united as ever...that is not at all. A patchwork of nations grumble at one another as they have done for hundreds of years.

But in some respects, the continent is closer than it ever has been in its history, as the European League is a much different beast when compared to the old European Union, slain by the Imperial Lion all those years ago.

Headed by a reconstituted and democratic German Empire, the European League is a trade agreement and military alliance that all the remaining free states of Europe are a part of. Its members, the New German Reich, the French Republic, the United Scandinavian Kingdom, the State of Israel, the Principality of Turkey, and the authoritarian Republics of Iberia, Italy, and Greece, are bound by treaty to provide military aid when the call is given without objection.

For not only are they held together by alliance, but the peoples of Europe share a bond with one another that can only have been forged by fire.

A bond which they refuse to allow to be broken, no matter how much they grumble at one another.

And it is probably this bond which is the only reason "Free Europa" hasn't been swallowed by the resurrected great red bear, or torn to shreds by the Imperial lion.

The return of Communism to Russia was heralded by crimson. Crimson flags and crimson rivers.

The "Union of Western Communist Republics", with the "Socialist Russian Federation" as its leading hegemon, was born as the old Soviet Union was a century before.

Through bloody revolution.

Seizing upon Europe's weakness during its war with the Empire, Russia invaded its eastern lands and returned many of the old "Warsaw pact" countries to the communist fold, along with sweeping into Alaska whilst the Federation was still reeling from its catastrophic defeat at the hands of Imperial Britain in the previous battle of Washington D.C.

This makes the UWCR one of the largest political entities on the planet.

Only truly equalled in size by its Asian ally.

The People's Republics of Asia functions very much like its younger European brother. A sham of a political and economic Union, dominated by one country.

The People's Republic of China.

Somehow mightier than it ever was during the age before Second Impact.

From the borders of Russia,the beaches of Sri-lanka, and the ruined middle east to the shores of Korea, the red dragon nests over its collection of puppet states and provinces. But it casts a constant and greedy gaze upon the last free nation of Asia, even after being thwarted in its desire some twelve years before during the so called "Pacific War," and humiliated by the disastrous battles of Osaka and Seto sea.

But to call Japan and its people "free" is somewhat inaccurate. Perhaps even straight up incorrect.

For the State of Japan is by no means a democracy. Even though the "National Diet" still exists, and the Emperor of Japan still sits upon the Chrysanthemum throne as his ancestors have done for two thousand years, the nation is no longer under either of their control.

For since the bloody coup of 2004, the country has been dominated by a military Junta.

The Defence Board of the Japanese State Army, the not so illustrious successors to the old Japanese Self Defence Force.

Their rule, as is typical for that of a military dictatorship, is one of iron. Minor crimes warrant a savage beating, and any dissent brings death upon the perpetrator, with the Ministry of the Interior constantly hunting down so called "enemies of the state."

In 2017 then, according to all logic, the world should still be ripping itself to pieces in an unending cycle of conflict. The Super Powers are simply so vast and strong, that the desire to crush all their enemies and extend their rule over the entire planet should be irresistible, despite the many and desperate attempts of the old United Nations, one of the few pre-impact multinational organizations to survive, to bring them to heel.

But that is not the case.

Whereas once they were at each other's throats, for the past eleven years a proverbial knife has been held to the nations of the world's jugular, by a UN mandated organization known as NERV.

The reason for this enigmatic group to intervene in such a manner is simple.

If the various Police states, Communist blocks, Empires, and military alliances of the world do not stand together behind them and their secretive " _ **Project E,**_ _"_ then Mankind is doomed to extermination...

The year is 2017 AD, and humanity's days of judgement are upon it.

For the Seraphim are **coming**.


	2. 1:2 An end to eleven years of peace

_"From this day forth, the only direction our enemy will be going in,_ _ **is backwards**_ _."  
_ _ **  
General Chiso Motichka, commander of the Japanese State Army ground forces, and overall head of the Defence Board, 13th of August 2005, Osaka address.**_

* * *

 _1:00pm, Thursday the 8th of June, 2017 AD, State of Japan, outskirts of Osaka_

The early afternoon rays of sunlight poured through the train's hard plastic windows. Within this carriage only one individual resided, eyes closed with music issuing forth from his earphones. Not that he minded being alone. In fact Shinji Ikari was not only used to it, but welcomed it in a way.

He needed more time than usual to himself, time to think. Time to understand what had persuaded him to even undertake this journey in the first place.

After twelve years of nothing from his father, a letter had suddenly come through the post on his sixteenth birthday, not two days before.

Shinji scoffed at how stupid he'd been, as when seeing it was from his _sperm donor_ he'd actually thought it was a birthday card. Perhaps even some sort of apology, or actual invite to visit after all these years of abandonment, isolation and lack of acknowledgement.

But there were no such words in the letter, only one.

 **Come.**

Not a _please._ Not a _how are you_.

Just _come_.

He'd put the man out of his mind for a few years now, and was finally attempting coming to terms with being left alone on that train station platform like some unwanted baggage all those years ago.

But then this had come along, and he felt compelled to obey it.

 _Perhaps he just wants to talk to me at where he works? He does have a busy job..._ Was the foolish thought which persuaded him. Now after two days of travel, Shinji laughed at his own naivety.

 _No. That man has never cared about me. Well that's just fine, I don't care about him. I'm only doing this in case it's important. Who knows, perhaps he's dying of some terminal illness and wants to see me again before he goes? Even if that's true...I still won't forgive him. I don't think I ever could._

 _"Attention, attention! Next stop is Osaka station, next stop is Osaka station! Please keep all your personal belongings on you at all times..."_

the announcement caused Shinji to sigh at his self-reflection, annoyed by the fact he'd gone over the same thing for hours on end. Not that this was unusual, the boy had always been one for going over his thoughts after all. And it irritated him to no end.

Hearing the humming of the train's S2 engine wind down, he slung his rucksack over his shoulder before making his way to the carriage doors.

The shiny new station of what was the third most important city in Japan gleamed in the sunlight, so much so, Shinji could have been mistaken for thinking no one was standing on the platform. Upon taking a second look however, he realised that indeed, he was alone.

Now he was unnerved.

 _It's been like this all the way from Kure. I've been on two empty trains since last night, that can't just be a coincidence? Can it?_

As the train doors slid open, his cerulean eyes narrowed before stepping out onto the platform.

 _What are you playing at, Gendo Ikari? You think after twelve years I'm in the mood for games?_

Boarding the train to Tokyo-3, Shinji sat down again and pulled his earphones back out of his bag. The train was empty too.

As it slid seamlessly along anti-grav rails, propelled forward by an engine that would have given pre-Impact scientists a heart attack, he glimpsed at the city which held roughly two million people. It had been a rather large settlement, even before the Second Impact and the following war with the _Peoples Republics of Asia_ killed roughly sixty million Japanese. But now it was one of the economic hearts of Japan.

Osaka, despite its size, was still lagging behind in importance when compared to the two main seats of power in the country however.

Fukoaka, the largest military installation in all Japan was home to the entire Western army and their families, totalling some six million inhabitants altogether. It was the main power base of the "Defence board."

Japan's military dictatorship.

Those who thought the Pacific War had weakened them were sadly mistaken, as the brutal putting down of protests on _Bloody April 14th_ had proved, when hundreds of people were scythed down by a hailstorm of lead.

The other city, his destination and true capital of Japan, was Tokyo-3.

Home to eight million people, the "National Diet," and the Emperor himself, it truly was a glorious beacon of Japan's technological prowess. Built entirely to withstand the previous disasters which claimed its namesakes, such as environmental catastrophe and Nuclear bombardment, Tokyo-3 was a great cry to the world.

Here we are, and here we shall stay.

 _Nothing can touch it. Nothing. Not the Chinese, not the Russians, not the Empire, not even the Federation. It's_ _ **our**_ _capital city. Not even Godzilla himself could attack it..._

Shinji gave a rare chuckle to his little joke, then leaned back into the seat's headrest and closed his eyes. He really had no worry of sleeping past his stop, as this was an express train which terminated at Tokyo-3.

Ode to joy played in his ears as memories of the place he would be staying at for the next few days, drifted through his mind.

A place he once called home.

Granted he hadn't set foot there for twelve years, so of course the city would be very different to when he toddled around there, even without it becoming capital of Japan after Tokyo-2 was annihilated by the Chinese.

 _Damn Tokuajin..._

He was only four at the time.

In 2005 he bore witness to the Communist invasion of Japan along with the sacking of Fukuyama. More infamously known to the Japanese as the "rape" of Fukuyama. Or to the Chinese as _"Nanking's vengeance."_

These experiences, of war and atrocity, had given him a lifelong hatred of the people across the sea and the ideology they followed.

Shinji shook his head, so that somehow he might throw away such painful history for himself and the Japanese people. He tried to think back to before all of it, before the war, before the train station platform, before he left Tokyo-3.

Back to the days of walking through an amusement park with bare feet due to it being so hot.

Back to when the only person who'd ever truly shown him kindness or compassion held a parasol over them both to beat back the sun's furious rays.

Back to the one time in his life when Shinji Ikari could say he was happy.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his dark brown mousey hair. Dwelling on a past time instead of looking to the future was considered unwise by most, himself among them. But no matter how hard he tried, Shinji could never move on from, nor forget, his mother's smile.

* * *

 _1:30pm, some miles south of Tokyo 3, Capital defence line 1_

Upon a steep sea side hill, stood a series of fortifications called "Defence line 1."

This consisted of concrete bunkers, artillery emplacements, anti-air and missile batteries, along with a stretch of road that could comfortably fit a thousand tanks on it. Built for the single purpose of ripping apart an invasion force before it even reached land, Defence Line 1 was among the most formidable defensive positions in the world. Perhaps only equalled by such things as the "Cornwallis wall" or the "Borodino line."

Upon said road at that very moment, an armoured brigade rumbled forward along with the rest of its division.

All turret mounted rail guns were angled forwards, as was custom for a tank brigade on the move, with command hatches open and the various Sergeants standing out of them as if they were on parade.

In specific this brigade was the 3rd one of the Japanese State Army 1st armoured division. This elite unit was entirely made up of battle hardened veterans from the "Pacific War," who crewed roughly three hundred advanced _Kotai type 2 Yoroi_ battle tanks.

These men and women had rightfully earned their places in the annals of history, as some of the finest warriors ever produced by Japan.

These were soldiers of the JSA Eastern Army, defenders of the Japanese heartland, and the tip of the spear in the counter attack against Communist Asia some twelve years ago.

Although to know what was going through the minds of the three man crew of the "Akuma mark 2", you would doubt their professionalism.

"Do we even know why the fuck we're here?" Private first class Eiji Fukui, Akuma's driver, grumbled over the radio as he tried to focus on driving. He felt exhausted, having been hauled out of his bunk at 4:00 in the morning and ordered to drive all the way from camp _Asaka_ to Capital defence line 1, stay put for a roughly five hours, then be told to go back to base.

And then halfway back the order was countermanded, and they had to come back here.

At first he'd thought it was actually serious, as he'd not been woken in such a manner since the opening cannonade of the Battle of Osaka. But with the huge expanse of nothing lying before his brown eyes, Eiji felt quite irritated.

"If I knew, I'd tell you. Now focus on driving. If we go over the edge I'll kill you. " Sergeant First class Kiyoshi Yukimura accepted the lazy _"Hai"_ and blocked out the grumblings of his cantankerous driver, taking in the fresh sea air around him as a gust of it gently stroked his cheek, bringing a smile to his charred face as it ruffled his greying black hair.

Sea air, the screeching of the sea gulls, and the blanket of salt water lying before him, were all reminders of Kochi, his home. Back where his teenage daughter, his world, was waiting for him.

 _"Halt here!"_ The division commander's voice blared over the radio. The Akuma and its bretheren rumbled to a halt, then promptly angled their massive guns out over the Pacific ocean.

"Didn't know the sea was our enemy..." The gunner, Leading private Seiichi Oshiro, remarked sarcastically.

"Oh haven't you heard? The _Tokuajin_ are invading with jet skis!" Eiji rolled his eyes. "So in answer to your question...no...I have no fucking clue why we are out here, and neither does the Sergeant. I'm the only person here allowed to moan, so shut up." He peered back out of his periscope and took in the unending carpet of crystal blue.

"You know, if I wasn't completely pissing exhausted this would almost be a nice view..." Eiji stopped mid snark, peering in a little, his eyes squinting at the small shapes moving around on the horizon.

"Sergeant...are you seeing this?"

"Yes...I see it, Private. Why is the navy here?" Kiyoshi started to strain his grey eyes, with the entire 1st division doing the same thing.

The Japanese State Navy flotilla, heralding from the Pacific fleet, eventually came to within a mile of the sea side road, allowing the tankers to fully take them in.

"I...I...I think the big one's a, Yamato super-carrier." Seiichi had only ever seen pictures of the three hundred metre long monsters, and even from this distance the mighty vessel was impressive, as was to be expected of a ship built to surpass the old American Nimitz class. Two other ships of about half the size steamed with it, their silhouettes, reminiscent of Japanese world war two ship design, being those of _Munekatsu_ class cruisers. Around them in a protective circle resided another five smaller vessels

 _Are those Atagos?_

Despite only being able to see them with great effort, the Akuma's gunner was right. These were indeed the primary support ships of the Japanese surface fleet.

Whilst they were still useful in 2017, the _Atago_ class destroyer could only function as a fast and lightly armoured patrol vessel, with the mighty carriers, cruisers, and currently not present battleships being the real heavy hitters at sea.

Beneath the waves however, obscure to all, resided three _Taira_ class S2 Submarines. These silent hunters, with their pallet torpedoes primed and ready for firing, were among the few classes of vessel that hadn't been made completely obsolete in front line service by the advent of the S2 engine.

Even now with energy shielding and ridiculous speed, no sane Admiral didn't fear what hid in the blackness below.

And as if to further give impression to the men of the 1st armoured division that today was no drill, ten _Kotai, Kaze_ _F-Variant_ VTOLs screamed through the heavens, swiftly followed by dozens, then hundreds more, before being eclipsed by a great shadow that shrouded the picturesque landscape in darkness.

Thousands of men stared up in awe as a, _Kotai, Susanoo_ class _FCV_ , totalling some two hundred metres in length and bristling with guns, elegantly slid though the pale blue afternoon sky, its shape being reminiscent of the blades once wielded by the Samurai of old.

Kiyoshi watched them fly over his head with a dumbstruck expression. The last time all these forces had been together was during the "Pacific War." And even then, Japanese Sky ships weren't really in existence at the time, as only even the Empire had a handful of prototypes and nothing more in 2005.

It was only with understanding of the " _A-T fields",_ and the invention of the S2 engine, that such marvels of technology were possible.

How they worked, Kiyoshi neither knew nor cared. What he did know, was in military terms they were lifesavers. Right then, every vehicle present possessed a weak A-T field generated by their S2 engines, that for a short amount of time could deflect projectiles at any range. But they were brought down quite easily, as their primary purpose was that of a power source, not at all like the monster fields and S2 reactors that kept FCV's afloat and protected, or provided the shielding and incredible speed of naval vessels.

Which of course brought the mind of the Sergeant, to the fields' most important use.

A-T fields were a nigh unlimited source of clean and efficient power, in recent years making oil and such obsolete. It was actually astonishing when Kiyoshi thought back to 1999 and how technology was so backwards in those times when compared to the modern age.

On the other hand, with the advent of the Second Impact, mankind had to advance quickly or die.

Bringing his mind back to the present, away from technology he didn't really understand, Kiyoshi turned his gaze back to the matter at hand. Back to the huge military build up standing in front, behind, below, and above him.

 _Army, Navy, and Air Force? It's got to be an invasion...it's got to be..._

 _"Attention all units. This is General Kasagawe of the Eastern Army."_

The Akuma's crew nearly jumped out of their seats as a man who was only answerable to the Defence Board or the Emperor himself, spoke in an old gravelly tone.

Despite the clear signs of ageing, it was still the voice that led the Eastern Army to victory at the battle of Osaka.

" _You, my dear brothers and sisters in arms, currently stand on this patch of Earth with over two hundred and fifty thousand of your compatriots. And this is not including those arrogant bastards from the garrison who stand a few miles behind us in their cosy Defence line 2. I have little doubt that they are probably moaning about how we get all the_ _ **easy**_ _work."_ The voice of a man who had once held off two hundred and fifty _People's Liberation Army_ soldiers with only pistols and grit, caused a great roar of laughter from his men.

Despite being excellently equipped and trained, the Tokyo-3 garrison were rather...lethargic. A routine of cushy patrols and parades would do that to any soldier however, Kiyoshi mused.

Even though he himself couldn't help but chuckle, the Sergeant strained his ears to hear the transmission. Although he didn't say it, the man was just as interested as his crew, as to why they had been hauled all the way out here.

" _Soldiers, Sailors, and Pilots of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, you have been called upon to defend the very heart of our country against an enemy the likes of which we have apparently never seen. According to NERV this enemy is beyond us, and all defensive deployments are useless and a waste of time. According to those pampered spooks your very being here is pointless!"_

Now Kiyoshi was **really** interested.

NERV usually kept to themselves, whilst taking everybody's money and not explaining what they needed it for, being the secretive sort of, sort of not, UN spooks they were. If they'd instigated this mobilisation, the situation must have been huge.

" _Let us show these pompous fops that we will not entrust the safety of our people with an organization who refuses to tell us what they even do! How dare they insinuate that we are beneath them! No foe is beyond us. No foe is beyond the Japanese State Army!"_ Once again Kasagawe elicited a roar of approval from his men.

" _This enemy that NERV prattles on about better pray to whatever deity it worships, for it only has a few more hours to live. We are the JSA! We turned back the armies of Asia, the largest military force on the planet! We are admired by even the Legions of the Federation! Let us show NERV, our people, and the entire world that this admiration is not misplaced!_ _ **Nippon Banzai! Tenno Heika Banzai!**_ _"_

Despite every single soldier present knowing war's awful truth, they still cheered until their lungs were empty of oxygen.

The men of the 1st armoured division were swiftly joined by their compatriots from the newly arrived 2nd and 3rd armoured divisions, and the buzz of activity furthered when the Eastern Army's entire compliment of infantry took up position in the fortifications of Defence line 1.

The soldiers' morale was greatly bolstered through the encouragement of their General and the presence of a mighty Sky ship, putting them all in buoyant mood.

But what none of them could have known, was the fate of their country did not lie in **their** hands. Indeed, it was not to be held by these no doubt brave defenders of their homeland for a while to come.

For roughly four and a half hours later, the fate of Japan and the entire world, was to be dropped on the shoulders of one rather mentally unstable sixteen year old boy...

* * *

 _3:50pm, Shingen train station, Tokyo-3._

Shinji nervously stood on the empty platform. Now he was concerned. He hadn't seen a soul for the past day or so, and now within the very capital of Japan itself, he was totally alone.

 _Father...what is all this?_

Unzipping his bag, he pulled out a photo which served two important functions. One, it had a phone number on the back and a designated pick up point. Two, it provided an image of the woman who would be doing the aforementioned picking up.

Clearly she was a rather flirtatious person, with the photo being taken in such a manner that a certain part of her chest was exposed. Shinji blushed as the more perverted part of his brain grinned.

 _Maybe this trip won't be a total waste if I meet you..._

He shook his head with sigh. There were three things which were infinite, the universe, human stupidity, and human perversity. And in his mind it was the latter which was most prevalent in in the dark recesses of his subconscious.

Slipping the photo into his pocket and zipping his bag back up, he slung it over his shoulder and walked out of the station.

No security, no commuters, nothing. It was empty.

 _If he thinks_ _ **this**_ _is going to intimidate me, then he's sadly mistaken._ He lied to himself as he clenched his fist.

This was clearly not the city he remembered. Even without the advanced defences which involved the main buildings being lowered into the ground, Tokyo-3 was far too overbuilt to even loosely resemble the place he'd grown up in.

Not that Shinji wasn't taking any interest in where he was. With the pictures he'd seen of Japan's Capital city, which showed dozens of advanced spires piercing the heavens in gleaming glory, along with gargantuan apartment blocks, the imposing and sprawling " _Tokyo-3 barracks,"_ and at the heart of the city itself the grand Imperial palace, he was actually a little excited.

This was the capital city of the nation to which he belonged and felt some pride for. But today, it was unnervingly quiet and empty.

The great buildings had been lowered, most likely for a drill. If not however...

He kept on walking through the empty streets, feeling even more unnerved by the sheer amount of cars which had been simply abandoned as if their owners had been in a hurry to get away from something unpleasant. This was only made worse by the lack of the one hundred thousand strong Tokyo-3 garrison's presence

Shinji had seen them parade through these streets almost every other day on the great screens dotted around Kure. Wearing their fine dark blue uniforms, reminiscent of Japan's glory days as an Imperial superpower, they functioned as both army and brutal police force.

And they were nowhere to be seen.

He involuntarily shivered, but kept on moving, kept on looking. What he sought was a phone booth, so that he might try to contact his father or NERV, preferably the latter in his case, inform them of his arrival and figure out just what in the name of the Spiritswas going on.

Right then and there, Shinji really regretted not having his own personal phone, but teacher always had a problem with them.

He'd said they "melted your brains."

Unfortunately, a little bit of that attitude had rubbed off onto Shinji.

" _Attention citizens, attention citizens!"_ A voice blared out of the various city loudspeakers, which caused the boy to jump out of his skin. Heart pounding for a few seconds, a chill cascaded down his spine when he recognized the voice.

Chief of the Ground Staff, General Chiso Motichka, Supreme Commander of the JSA's ground forces and head of the Defence Board.

The woman who was Japan's military Dictator.

" _A state of emergency has been declared in the Kanto and Chubu regions surrounding the Tokai district. All residents must evacuate to their designated shelters immediately. Garrison troops will assist with evacuations. All those who refuse will be forcibly moved to a safe location. This command will loop every fifteen minutes."_

 _State of emergency?...shit..._

The last time a "State of emergency" had been declared was when the soldiers and armoured vehicles of the Communist "People's Liberation Army" had swept into the home islands themselves, cutting a bloody swathe through his country.

If this was another Chinese invasion...he didn't want to think about it.

He quickened his pace until eventually his search was rewarded with success. His feet carried him over to a phone booth. Snatching up said phone with trembling hands, Shinji pulled out the photo in his pocket, and swiftly dialled the number on it.

With total apprehension, he waited as it rang for two minutes straight.

 _Come on..._ _ **please!**_

After a few more moments of patience, he was finally rewarded.

With the last thing he wanted to hear.

" _We're sorry, due to the state of emergency, no lines are currently available. This is a recording."_ A completely disinterested voice cooed on the other end in a pathetic attempt to sound apologetic. The line then went dead.

Shinji Ikari held the phone away from his ear with a trembling hand, with an expression of slight fear and unyielding rage.

 _You...cannot...be..._ _ **fucking**_ _...serious..._

* * *

 _4:00pm, Capital Defence line 1_

"Hey, Private?"

"Yes?" The twenty-seven year old gunner yawned and stretched out his arms.

"You've got family in the Capital right?" Eiji said in an inquisitive manner.

The youngest of Akuma's crew members sat in silence for a few moments. He didn't have family so to speak, they'd all lived in Kyushu before the invasion...but he had a girl. He'd been with her for the past three years and Seiichi found himself hopelessly in love.

And...he had a feeling...no...he knew she felt the same way.

And then he remembered who was asking.

"Oh no you don't, you bastard." He grumbled, for Seiichi got rather embarrassed when talking about the only woman he'd ever been with, and that cantankerous old swine who called himself a "driver" knew it.

"Don't be like that, we're practically family these days so you know, no secrets between us. So...how big are her tits again?"

"Ah...ack...none of your business you perverted swine!" Seiichi aimed a good kick at Eiji's helmeted head, being rewarded with the feeling of connection.

This did nothing to deter Akuma's resident, as westerners put it, "Troll."

"Oh what did she look like? Ah yes, short silky black hair, deep blue eyes, pale skin, some lovely curves, and mmm...those legs are worth killing for." Eiji roared with laughter as Seiichi started threatening him with an "accident" involving his head being launched out the main gun.

"What was her name again? Mi...?"

"Mikasa! It's Mikasa! How many times do I have to tell you damn it!"

Hearing the commotion from within his tank, Kiyoshi put a finger to his helmet's inbuilt mouthpiece so as to activate his comms.

"Children, stop throwing your toys out of the pram or else I'll put you all to bed without supper." He clicked off the radio with a sigh and was rewarded with peace and quiet.

Twelve years...that's how long they'd been riding together.

Straight after his old squad died in the bloodbath that was Kitakyushu, he was thrown into a battered Type-74 along with these two fresh faced recruits.

He still remembered their faces from that day.

The fifteen year old boy with black hair and brown eyes, so desperate for revenge after the Communists murdered his parents that he'd lied about his age, and the grouchy twenty-three year old recently released convict with dark brown hair and eyes, who'd joined the JSA to " _earn some money, save Japan, get into bed with some grateful ladies, and kill some fucking Tokuajin whilst he was at it,"_ had infuriated Kiyoshi to begin with, as between the stress of losing his friends and most of his family, along with the constant whining and disagreements between the two recruits, his patience had worn thin.

Then the battle of Osaka happened, and their delusions shattered. On that desperate day they found what it took to be a unit, and became soldiers their country could be proud of.

In fact there were none Kiyoshi would rather serve with than them, which was one of the reasons why many a promotion had been turned down.

" _Target closing!"_ The division commander's voice bellowed, as a chorus of " _Ryokai!_ " answered him, followed by firing chambers being loaded, command hatches closing, prayers being muttered, and fingers twitching on triggers.

Seiichi was infamous across the division for having one of these. Kiyoshi just thanked the Spiritsthat particular supply truck which his gunner had "accidentally" destroyed was unmanned at the time.

A deathly silence held over the entire line, with recruits turning their underwear brown in fear, and veterans gritting their teeth, thinking they knew what was coming.

But they didn't. Not by a long shot.

" _Fleet reports contact!"_ Distant naval guns and depth charges could be seen ferociously flashing in the distance. And then an even brighter light erupted from beneath the aircraft carrier.

Air Force, Army, and Navy, all stared in horror as one of the largest ships in the fleet's A-T field flickered, failed, then was vaporised along with two thousand lives in a geyser of hellish orange energy.

The men on shore didn't even need to hear the order to scatter, as ships propelled themselves away from the site as fast as they could.

One Atago wasn't quite fast enough, as some unforeseen force latched onto its rear and dragged it under.

" _The...Tsushima...is engaging."_

Said FCV, along with swarms of VTOLs, accelerated over the water and blasted the target's position with enough fire power to level a large town in a few seconds flat. A blinding flash of electric blue energy issued forth from the Tsushima's prow, striking the calm sea.

A mountain of the stuff was promptly displaced by the positronic strike, white froth ascending into the heavens then cascading back down.

 _That must have killed it, it_ _ **must**_ _have..._ Kiyoshi's heart pounded, as strong as it was.

The spirits of every man stationed on Capital Defence line 1 sank as another blast of energy erupted from beneath the waves. Although the A-T field of the Tsushima only just managed to hold, a few dozen VTOLs were not so fortunate.

" _This is Tsushima, our A-T field is down to twelve percent and our second reactor is overloaded, we can't take another shot like that. Retreating to safe distance!"_ The voice of the mighty vessel's middle aged Captain was followed by the ship turning away, smoke billowing from its right engine, whilst the rest of the Air Force kept hammering away with everything they had.

To no avail.

" _Tairas are engaging!"_ Their commander sounded panicked now, as multiple jets of water exploded forth from the sea from where the Nuclear Submarine's torpedoes had impacted.

" _Direct hit! No...wait...evasive actio-_ _ **aghhh**_ _!"_ The metal tomb's final transmission was cut out as more explosions tore through waves as two of the three vessels were ripped apart, followed swiftly by a great plume of water bursting forth from the ocean, as the twisted and mangled wreck of a submarine was almost regurgitated from the water.

Right into the 1st division's 1st battalion.

The resulting explosion tore a black, craggy scar in the side of what once once a peaceful sea side road, killing hundreds of Japan's finest in a few seconds.

"Orders, Sir!? Orders!?" Kioyshi yelled into his radio, desperate to be told what to do in a situation he'd never been in before.

No response.

"Ey-eyes front, prepare for combat!" He roared into his radio so the whole platoon could hear whilst trying to control his own nerves.

"Why the fuck did those NERV spooks have to be right for once!?" Seiichi yelled as he fought his trigger finger.

"Because cunts are always right when you don't want them to be!" Eiji threw his arms up in the air. He and Akuma's Gunner both turned fearful gazes to their Sergeant, a man who was practically a father figure.

Kiyoshi felt his heart wither and die as he recognized the expressions of the men before him.

Fear.

The very same expression they'd worn when the "Akuma mark 1" had suffered that first hit at Osaka.

These men, veterans of the bloodiest war in Japan's history, were frightened.

And so was he.

"Eyes front, lads, I'm right here with you."

Barely fifty metres in front of them, the water frothed and splashed as it was pushed apart from underneath...as... **something** began to rise from the depths.

"Amaterasu watch over us." Seiichi's hand trembled as all his thoughts turned to the young woman who'd stolen his heart, and the warmth of a bedroom as early morning sunlight would trickle through an open window.

Oh how he wished to be in her arms right now.

" _Men, you are soldiers of Japan. No matter what comes out of that water, you will stand your ground._ _ **Nippon Banzai! Tenno Heika Banzai**_ _!"_ Kasagawe futilely tried to encourage his troops as their enemy came into visual.

Every soldier stared, some even catching their breath. For before them stood a creature that hadn't walked the face of planet Earth for one and a half billion years.

The being known as Sachiel stared down at those who would dare to block his path. He was humanoid in shape except lacking a head, instead having a sort of beak like bony helm embedded into its upper torso with two small black eyes. Its skin colour was a tinge of dark green, many of its features amphibian in nature, with something akin to a rib cage covering a spherical red jewel encrusted into its chest.

After a few moments of confusion, the men of the Japanese armed forces knew precisely what to do.

" **Nippon Banzai! Tenno Heika Banzai**!" Kiyoshi and his crew roared as their rail gun unleashing an armour-piercing round coated in positronic energy. In a flash, their comrades let loose with their own war song: hundreds of guns opened up, along with a deadly payload of missiles, torpedoes and naval batteries from the surviving remnants of the sea and air fleet. Even the HIJMS Tsushima, weakened and listing, bombarded the billion-year-old monstrosity with fire and steel.

Amidst the roar of a modern army's power, the men and women of the JSA briefly forgot their fear. In that moment, mankind made a brave cry of defiance against a race above and beyond them, a cry that would be repeated time and again before this war was done.

But it was to be in vain.

The impact of this solid wall of death upon its target was blinding. The being was instantly obscured by what could be described as a tidal wave of smoke. A cheer echoed across the radio, as thousands jubilated in triumph.

All except Kiyoshi along with his fellow veterans of countless battles.

Their gazes were fixed on where their target had stood, squinting to try and see through the smoke. Eventually the sea breeze removed that problem for them.

And the cheers stopped.

Mighty Sachiel stood unscathed, not even being pushed back by the salvo. Kiyoshi, Seiichi and Eiji felt their hearts sink, even as orders were screamed at them and their comrades to continue firing.

The Seraph began to advance through the water with ease, its eyes glowering a them. Eyes as black as hell itself.

 _ **Is that...truly...all the strength you can muster...little, Vooren?**_

Mankind's eleven years of peace were over.

The Seraph War had begun.


	3. 1:3 The woman with purple hair

_4:20pm, Tokyo-3_

Shinji was giving up now. After twenty minutes of ringing that stupid phone again and again, he was getting sweet **nothing** in terms of a desirable response.

 _"We're sorry, due to the state of emergency, no lines are currently available. This is a recording."_ The answer phone repeated for the sixteenth time.

Sixteen times too many.

After glaring at it for a while, Shinji slammed it back into its booth, so hard that it broke in half on impact. He recoiled from the broken public property, as for all his faults he didn't like breaking things. He quickly looked around with a guilty expression, half expecting someone, probably a soldier, to show up and arrest him for his "crime."

Getting arrested was not something one wanted to happen to them, especially in the Japan of 2017.

A Japan in which most minor crimes warranted a savage beating.

In such an age and country, Shinji had discovered his submissive and timid nature to be helpful. It wasn't that he liked the Defence Board or even Parliament, it was just "not being shot" was near the top of his priorities.

After futilely trying to reassemble the phone, he backed away slowly, and then made no small amount of haste away from the scene.

Stopping a few blocks away, he walked himself into some shade and sighed with pleasure as the temperature dropped a few merciful degrees. Being Japanese, he was used to constant thirty degree temperature all year round, but even then he had his limits. In fact you could say he hated warm weather, for it made being snug impossible.

And then his eye caught a glimpse of something. In the distance a green signpost with the words _Shelter, 300 metres_ emblazoned in white _,_ and an arrow pointing down the street which curved off to the right, was situated.

Having forgotten about the State of emergency due to his frustration and embarrassment, Shinji took another look at the photo, so as to remind himself of where the meeting point was. He then realised the street name matched up with the one on the sign post.

 _Well that's fortunate._

Reluctantly, he left the shade and briskly walked towards the shelter.

Reaching the end of this street, and the beginning of the one which crossed over the top of it, he looked left and right before crossing to the other side.

This may seem like a strange thing to do in an empty city, but Shinji was a person of routine. Also he'd heard what sounded like the revving of an engine not too far away, giving the impression that someone was driving around a little too fast. Considering that everyone should probably be in their shelters, Shinji could understand why whoever was driving that car was in a hurry. However upon looking right and "surprisingly" seeing nothing, he then instinctively turned his head left, and almost had a heart attack.

Standing some one-hundred feet away from him, was a girl. A very pale girl with...he squinted some more to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

He wasn't.

The girl did indeed have **sky blue** hair.

Becoming aware of the fact he was staring, Shinji snapped himself out of his stupor and shook his head, as if to get his brain back in gear. And then it occurred to him **he** was being stared at.

Remaking some form of eye contact, he mustered his courage for a challenge.

"Uh, hello? Can I...help you?"

The girl remained silent, making the situation more awkward with every passing moment.

"Are you lost? I-if you're trying to get to a shelter I know where one is. It's just down there..." And then his attention was distracted by a flock of birds suddenly taking flight, the flapping of wings and ruffling of feathers breaking the unnerving silence.

Redirecting his gaze from the sky back to the person he was talking to, Shinji tried to think of something else to say, only to find the girl gone. As he scratched his head in confusion, a gust of wind blew past him.

 _Good luck...brother..._ These words were carried upon the wind by so soft and pure a voice, that it pushed him to the verge of tears.

And then logic reasserted full control. Now he was more unnerved than ever before. With all the deathly silence, lack of people, and vanishing girls, he felt like his perception of the universe had simply given up today.

Of course however, those weren't words. They were just tree's rustling.

 _But there aren't any trees..._ His brain unhelpfully observed, resulting in Shinji quieting these thoughts as quickly as possible before the rest of his body could panic.

"Weird." He muttered to himself, before resuming his journey towards the shelter.

It had taken a few minutes, but eventually he could see the steel door to an N2 blast and fall out shelter, causing him to sigh with relief.

And then the ground started shaking. So much that he would have toppled onto his face were it not for the protection of his arms.

Still, it hurt.

"Ah shit!" He gently rubbed the soon to blossom bruises on his bare arms before standing back up, and then being thrown back down when the shaking got worse.

 _Earthquakes? Really? Look, Spirits, for whatever I did to annoy you so much I'm sorry. Can I just please start having an ordinary day?_

Wind started to rattle the vehicles and building shutters, making the situation even more uncomfortable, unnerving, and downright frightening for Shinji, as he was never the bravest person alive.

But then everything really went to hell.

The thunderous roar of hundreds of high velocity cannons exploded across the hills of Tokyo-3, as its own defences opened fire upon its unexplainable attacker. Shinji could only watch in stupefied and deafened awe, as dozens of tanks reversed through the streets, their cannon's belching smoke and fire like the dragons of myth, along with hundreds of men darting around them. _Kaze_ s screamed through the air, but they and everything else was drowned out by the humming of four great engines belonging to two newly arrived FCV's.

But his awe soon turned to horror.

In front of these men and their machines, was something almost indescribable.

A humanoid, amphibian like creature stalked towards the Japanese capital, a look of malice etched upon its bone like mask that might have functioned as a head. Missiles, tank shells and even bullets were hurled at it with reckless abandon, only to impact uselessly.

This did not stop the guns of the JSA from continuing to fire. The sound of four ship mounted rail guns charging up caused Shinji to cover his ears in pain due to their shrill whine. With an ear splitting crack they unleashed their payload of pallet rounds, the noise shattering most of the city's windows and shaking the ground. The only effect they had however, was uselessly tapping a wall of orange lightening.

 _Is that...an A-T field?_

Shinji felt his blood run cold. He knew a little about A-T fields, with them being the unlimited source of energy which mankind used to pull itself out of the oblivion of Second Impact.

But he'd never seen or heard of a field as strong as this.

And he'd never seen one be used in the fashion of how the Seraph would.

Sachiel swept his arm in the general direction of a squadron of VTOLs coming his way. A flicker of orange light preceded the entire squadron being obliterated in a wave of hell fire.

Shinji couldn't hear the JSA's battle chatter, but he could well imagine what was being yelled over it.

 _We're not putting a fucking dent in it!_

 _Squadron 8 has been completely destroyed!_

 _3rd division retreating!_

 _Retreat is unacceptable! Nippon Banzai! Tenno Heika Banz-_ _ **agghhhhhhhh**_ _!_

A Kaze accelerated to close range after unloading its payload of missiles, swiftly unleashing a stream of bullets from its mounted gatling guns.

Sachiel watched rounds that would liquefy a person, harmlessly bounce off his field, before swiping at the vehicle with the back of his hand as if it were some sort of insignificant insect.

 _ **Vooren, you are poor hosts indeed. Can none of you offer me some sort of challenge!?**_

The VTOL tumbled out of the sky and crashed onto one of the buildings near the street's edge in an explosion of flames. It proceeded to career through through the road, stopping some one-hundred feet from a petrified Shinji.

He sat there for a few moments, watching the Eastern Army be decimated by the Seraph with effortless and ruthless ease, becoming even more paralysed as the realization that Sachiel was **actually walking** in his direction hit him like a tsunami.

 _Oh Spirits...oh Spirits...oh Spirits..._

And then the world seemed to slow down.

Out of the Kaze crawled a figure. A figure that appeared to be a badly burned individual who'd lost the use of their legs. They were stuck, a metal beam having collapsed upon them, and they shrieked as the wreckage's flames slowly came closer.

A memory came to Shinji at that moment. One of when he was four years old and Japan was burning around him.

 _Men in blue uniforms, screaming at me to run, and then they just start screaming in general...I ran away like I always do._

And thus, he found himself being carried over to the crash site on his unusually eager legs. For although he was an isolated person, the he couldn't stand watching others in pain.

"Hey hold on!" He yelled, gaining speed with every passing second.

The individual in the wreckage appeared to meet Shinji's nearing gaze, and stretched out an arm in a grateful acceptance of offered help.

Sachiel's gargantuan green foot slammed down on the vehicle, completely crushing it. A quick scream was all Shinji heard before the individual whose life he'd tried to save, disappeared beneath the Seraph's weight, a sickening crunch and spurt of blood being overshadowed by the Kaze's final rippling explosion.

He stopped in his tracks and stared. Although he was no stranger to death, the boy collapsed upon the ground and doubled over before the urge to vomit overcame him within moments. After finishing the regurgitation of his train dinner, Shinji, remembering that he wasn't alone, slowly angled his gaze skywards to meet that of the imposing Seraph's.

Whilst Shinji trembled for all he was worth, mighty Sachiel stared down upon the helpless child before him, blinking a few times whilst the JSA kept hammering away.

The one-hundred and sixty metre tall amphibian behemoth, after maintaining eye contact with Shinji for a few tense seconds, slowly, inexorably, turned away and continued his relentless march through the city.

 _ **Scurry away little one, I have no quarrel with you.**_

The mousey haired and wimpy sixteen year old watched the ancient warrior stomp away, with shaking form and tears of terror streaming down his paled cheeks. Wiping the traces of vomit from his lips, Shinji rose from the ground with limbs that had the solidity of jelly.

Tokyo-3 was in flames around him. The city built to withstand any sort of attack was falling before his very eyes.

Japan was on the verge of having its heart ripped out again.

 _It can't be...it can't be..._

As the Seraph sliced through another wave of VTOLs, then stabbing another one with a spear of light jutting out from its hand, Shinji clenched his fist.

It was not that he was angry, far from it, for this was actually his most prominent nervous tick. He would vent all his fears and frustrations into that hand and squeeze it as hard as he could. It was the best way he had of dealing with his fear of, well, everything. Not to mention the memories of the person who'd taught him this technique brought warmth to his chipped and broken heart unlike anything else.

He closed his eyes and a took a deep trembling breath before unclenching his fist.

 _Stay calm...stay calm...being the pathetic little coward I am isn't going to help._

Although still scared, Shinji quietened his trembling limbs and opened his eyes.

Great pyres of smoke reached into the heavens in the distance, as Sachiel continued his inexorable march towards some unknown objective.

The screech of an engine caught his attention, causing him to turn around. His eyes widened as some sort of blue sports car from a past time, skidded to a halt by his side, before having its passenger side door thrown open from the inside.

At the wheel, sat a rather pretty woman with purple hair and sunglasses, her lips curled into a cocky grin. Oddly enough, around her neck she wore what appeared to be the Christian cross.

If he were in a state where logical thought could be practised, Shinji would have found this bizarre as Christianity was almost extinct in the east these days.

But he was not thinking logically. In fact he was only halfway out of a near panic attack, and it seemed this woman, who didn't appear to even notice the monster stomping through Tokyo-3 Godzilla style, wanted him to come with her.

"It's Shinji right? Get in!" She called to him, as the boy in question kept gawking, whilst the part of his brain that wasn't going into meltdown noted how similar she looked to the person he was meant to meet. Her head simply tilted at his silence.

"Am I real late?"

* * *

 _4:35 pm, NERV Central command bridge, beneath Tokyo-3_

NERV's command bridge was an impressive thing. A main metal deck with dozens of staff and computers chattering away constantly, was seated in front of a gargantuan holographic display that currently depicted Sachiel demolishing a good chunk of Tokyo-3. There were two smaller decks above the base deck, coupled with the bottom one they were named as such.

Control: situated on the bottom.

Observation: the middle.

And Command: the top.

The decks would get slowly smaller in width and length, with Control being filled with roughly thirty staff, Observation having ten, and Command having two.

But these men were perhaps the most important.

Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari, and Vice Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki.

NERV had spent over a decade preparing for this. Trillions of Dollars, Pounds, Euros, Roubles, Yen, and hundreds of thousands of hours of man power had been spent so they would be ready for what Mankind had long dreaded.

The return of the Seraphim.

And even then, almost every individual present stared up at the display screen with a mixture of terror, awe, and rage. The rage emanating from three individuals seated on the Observation deck, in dark blue military uniform, who were currently overlooking the ongoing battle.

Whilst NERV was a multinational organization and many of its staff were foreign, they still kept a wary eye upon these people. And as for NERV's Japanese personnel, fear had crept into their very souls. For at this table sat all three members of the Defence Board.

"Eastern Army forces currently engaged are reporting a fifteen percent casualty rate. All weaponry appears to have no effect!" One of the male Lieutenants reported from his monitor.

The figure sitting at the centre of the table, slammed her forty year old fist down, and stood up abruptly.

"Damn it! General, pull the Air Force back. Admiral, order the Navy to commence missile bombardment. My forces will retreat to the outskirts. We **will** kill this thing!" General Chiso Motichka barked.

"But...General Motichka, what about the city? Naval strikes will cause a great deal of collateral damage- **agh**!" The unfortunate Lieutenant yelped as a gunshot crashed out and his shoulder exploded into gore. He whimpered miserably as the General holstered her smoking side arm.

"I don't recall asking for anyone's opinion."

A few minutes later, whilst the Lieutenant with the shattered shoulder was carried away to NERV's medical ward, the sheer force of fifteen pallet missiles impacting their target flattened an entire residential block. The A-T field of a Sky ship would've had difficulty standing up against such an onslaught.

But the Seraph wasn't even scratched.

Whilst the commanders of the Air Force and Navy stared in shock, Motichka's hand slowly balled into a fist, before she drew a deep, dangerous, breath.

"Over three hundred and fifty thousand of my finest soldiers, hundreds of aircraft and dozens of ships. None of these have even been able to touch this, **thing**. Now, if someone doesn't give me a reason for this and a solution to my problem, there will be consequences. So, Supreme Commander Ikari-" She whirled around to face the figure who sat above them, upon his pretentious throne with faithful dog to one side.

"Can you give me a reason and a solution?" She said in a sickly sweet tone, one that implied she would have him hung drawn and quartered if his answer didn't please her.

And please her it did not.

"As I have said before, your every contribution to this is totally useless. This enemy is utterly beyond you, the JSA serves no further purpose than that of a flimsy meat shield. NERV shall handle this battle. You are no longer required." Gendo Ikari spoke in a voice which did not rise or fall, but radiated quiet authority. This however, was drowned out by Chiso's military snarl.

"You **insolent** spook. How dare you speak of my men like that! Twelve years ago these _meat shields_ bled, fought, and **died** for this country whilst you sat in your palace of diplomatic immunity. Tell me, Gendo Ikari, where was your NERV when the Communists swarmed like ants over our homeland? **Where were you**!?"

"Your war was of no concern. We had far more pressing matters to attend to. Now, withdraw your troops and leave this matter to me. Your men are dying, General, dying in vain." Gendo offered, as if trying to get the woman to see reason. But to an experienced listener it was simple to realize he was intentionally provoking Japan's _de facto_ ruler.

Chiso fought her desire to explode, then contorted her snarl into a vicious smile.

Her armed forces still had one card left.

"We shall see, **old man**." She turned to face General Daiki Naka, supreme commander of the airforce, who met her gaze without any fear, just anticipation.

"General. Order your surviving units to lure the Seraph away from Tokyo-3. I'm authorizing an N2 strike."

The sound of touch screen monitors being tapped was the only thing which filled the cavernous room, as no one wished to speak of the dreadful act about to be committed.

The old nuclear weapons had a gargantuan stigma attached to them, as during the "Post Impact Wars" these doomsday devices had claimed roughly ninety million lives. Almost every mind on that bridge was consumed by the image of a towering mushroom cloud, spewing radiation and death like a burst boil spread its diseased puss. And these had been totally outclassed in destructive power by the N2 mine, a weapon which produced no radiation but disintegrated everything within its blast radius.

Had any of NERV's staff truly been focused on the here and now however, they may have heard a whisper of a laugh from their Commander...

* * *

 _4:45pm, outskirts of Tokyo-3_

The initial flight from the city had been hair raising. The blue sports car's speed hadn't dropped beneath ninety for ten minutes, with it only now mercifully falling below sixty. For that, Shinji thanked whatever deity was listening.

Releasing his grip upon the car door, he slumped back and exhaled after holding his breath.

"Sorry if that was a bit much, but we really needed to move." His driver cast him a quick look of apology before returning her gaze to the road.

 _A bit much?_

Shinji would never have described the situation in that way. Him holding on for dear life whilst both the car and himself screamed through the streets of Tokyo-3, with the driver having an almost maniacal look of enjoyment, was most certainly not something he'd call "A bit much."

But at least they were far away from that **monster** now. Speaking of which...

"What was that?" His voice barely rose above a whisper.

"We call it a Seraph. No one really knows much about them, except they want to kill us all." The purple haired driver unhelpfully offered.

"Why do you call it a Seraph? That's a western word. Surely _Yokai_ would work better for whatever that thing is?"

" _Yokai_ would make sense, but I didn't name them. If we discover a new race of monsters bent on the genocide of everything, you can have naming priority." She laughed at her joke, whilst Shinji fought with every ounce of his being to not just shake with fear.

 _ **Race?**_ _No...no...I'm sure that's just a figure of speech. There can't be anything worse than whatever is ripping Tokyo-3 apart...there can't be..._

They continued to drive for another few minutes, before Shinji plucked up the courage to ask the real question on his mind.

"Are you from NERV? Did my father send you?" He said in a guarded tone, not wanting to show hatred for the man who was his father in name only.

"Yes I'm from NERV. Lieutenant Colonel Misato Katsuragi, combat operations director, at your service." She stretched out a hand, which Shinji awkwardly shook.

"I've been assigned as your escort to NERV central, so don't worry, your safety is my top priority." She added as the speedometer dropped below fifty. For a while, the only noise that both occupants heard was the sound of the engine humming.

 _A petrol engine? This thing is an antique._

"Um...sorry I wasn't at the meeting point. I sort of...got distracted..." Shinji awkwardly scratched the back of his head, whilst fighting the rise of his gorge as he remembered what reason had dragged him away. He was rather surprised to find "Misato" simply shrug.

"Don't sweat it, Shinji-kun, a lot of things didn't go to plan today." Had her sunglasses not been on, he would have noticed Misato frown.

 _Damn. Ten years of preparation and those things still caught us with our panties down! The UN is going to have trouble stomaching this, but Spirits know how GAAFT will respond..._

Were she paying attention, the purplehead would have noticed her charge becoming very quiet all of a sudden.

 _Come on. you broke it, you own up for it._ His subconscious gently nudged.

 _But...but...but...ah crap why did I have to think of_ _ **this**_ _right now?_

"Um, Katsuragi-san?" He whispered.

"You can call me Misato you know, I'm not picky." She cast her gaze upon him, only to see the mousey haired boy turn very pale, as if he were a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

"Oh you can't have done anything that bad. Come on, what is it?" She actually chuckled a little. She **chuckled** at the prospect of him owning up to vandalism! That would get you a few nights in a cell and a misshapen face at least. But still, Shinji had always been taught to confess his wrong doings.

 _Own up, and your punishment won't be as severe._

"I...I tried phoning NERV earlier but I wasn't getting any reception so I kept trying and things were really creepy and..."

"Hey calm down, I'm not going to get angry." Misato said in a humoured yet...reassuring tone. Shinji had not heard such in a very long time. Not since...

"I...sort of...got frustrated...and...kind of...broke the phone..." He gingerly put forward, then lost any and all courage before looking straight into his lap. What he got next, was nothing like what he'd expected.

Not some harsh words.

Not a fist.

But a laugh.

"What that's it? You broke a phone? Shit, I break things all the time, you wouldn't believe how much my old landlord chewed me out for it." She waved her hand dismissively, as if the whole situation was trivial to her. Which it really was.

But for Shinji, any wrong doing could not be forgiven.

"But...Katsuragi-san, I smashed it! I broke it beyond repair!"

"Smashed? Jeez, how strong are you?"

"I don't know, but I still broke it! I mean, how will the security services handle it-" His voice trembled horrendously, until Misato's hand found its way to his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You've done nothing wrong. **Nothing at all**."

"But it was public property..." He meekly whimpered, knowing full well how some people had been beaten to death for what was once a minor offence.

But his driver didn't let him finish.

"No, Shinji-kun. You are not going to have your face caved in for breaking a **phone**. Spirits on high _,_ that Motichka is insane." She gave his shoulder another squeeze, then returned to focusing her attention on the road ahead, whilst her own mind grumbled.

 _I remember what it was like before her...before the wars...before the Second Impact. Hell that world wasn't perfect, but it's better than what we have now._

Shinji's mouth flapped uselessly for a few moments whilst Misato didn't seem fazed at all by the thing she'd just said.

 **No one** , insulted General Motichka, **no one**. Well, no one **alive** anyway...

However, Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi was a member of NERV and that was a multinational organization with both funding and protection from the United Nations. So perhaps its staff could get away with voicing their opinions on...just about anything.

"You won't tell anyone will you?" He gingerly asked, reckoning that perhaps he liked this, _Lieutenant Colonel Misato Katsuragi_. At the very least, he didn't find her as annoying or frightening as most people.

She raised an eyebrow along with the edge of her mouth.

"Not a soul."

Along a deserted country highway, the car slowed to an unexpected stop. Shinji watched his driver open the glove compartment and pull out some rather technologically advanced binoculars. She then removed her sunglasses, showing off her fantastic doughy brown eyes. After opening the passenger side window she leaned over and began to survey the area.

"Um...Katsuragi-san...what are you doing?" Shinji's body and voice trembled as her breasts got all too close to his face.

 _Hey I told you coming here was a good idea!_ His subconscious infuriatingly pointed out.

 _Shut up!_ Shinji snapped back, resulting in the perverted part of his brain going off to pout.

"What are they doing?" She muttered both quietly and unhelpfully.

"What do you mean- **agh**!" His sudden shriek came from beholding the tiny but unmistakeable form of the "Seraph," slowly trudging its way over the edge of a very large hill, whilst dozens of VTOLs and two Sky ships buzzed angrily around it. The dull thuds of FCV artillery, missile impact, the occasional blinding blue light of a positron cannon, and the _chatter chatter_ of heavy machine guns, caused his skin to crawl.

Those noises were all too familiar to a survivor of Fukuyama.

"Don't worry, they're leading it away from us." His driver gently tried to reassure him, before she returned to watching the spectacle whilst repeating the phrase "what are you doing?"

As the Seraph disappeared from view, the air forces scattered. Misato tilted her head ever so slightly then started to say in a tone that was dripping with absolute dread "No, they wouldn't...they wouldn't..."

He barely had time to see the missile streaking down from the heavens as his driver threw herself over him. A blinding light followed by an ear splitting roar deafened the vehicle's occupants. But a few seconds later, wind storms flipped the car over and over, with Shinji screaming for all he was worth, and Misato gritting her teeth as they were thrown around all over the car's interior, earning many a tender bruise.

Eventually, the car stopped rolling and remained on its side. Slowly, its owner and passenger peaked their heads out of it to behold perhaps one of the most dreaded sights in human history.

A gargantuan mushroom cloud scraping the heavens, its clouds of death darkening the world.

* * *

 _4:50 pm, NERV Central command bridge_

There was a roar of applause as the Seraph's energy signature vanished, completely washed away by a tide of energised death.

Chiso folded her arms with a smug expression, matched only by the two other members of her administration present.

General Daiki Naka could only feel relief that the monster which killed so very many of his men today, was finally gone.

Admiral Akira Takeida's smile was one of absolute ecstasy as his blood lust was finally satiated by the death of the monster which took five of his ships, and roughly four thousand of his men.

Motichka turned her gaze towards the not so all knowing Commander sitting on his throne, her lips pressing into a savage smile.

"Well well, Ikari-san. It seems all that faith, Congressmen Laberenz puts in you is sadly misplaced. Along with a lot of our money..." She winced in metaphorical pain at the thought of all those trillions going to waste. But that was ultimately something she could live with.

Ikari was not needed.

Those metal monsters he'd hammered together in his basement weren't needed.

And for that, the most powerful individual in Japan gave a quick prayer of thanks to Amaterasu herself. Not that Motichka was religious, the horrors of war had shattered such "superstitions" long ago. But every now and again, when something very strenuous or nigh impossible had been achieved, she did wonder whether or not something was giving her administration a hand.

So she gave thanks to whoever was listening.

For Chiso did not like Gendo Ikari, not in the slightest. She wasn't sure why, but there was something horrifyingly off about him, his organization, and especially the little pet clone he kept around.

Not that the idea of clones unnerved her. On the contrary she would love to employ such techniques in her army, but the United Nations had put multiple sanctions on countries that even attempted it. Of course NERV would get away with something like that, but the one they had in particular, that ethereal... **thing**...didn't just unsettle her, it frightened this old warrior.

And that was without considering what **it** was a clone of...

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen Ikari's pet for a while now...curious.

"Perhaps." Gendo replied to her earlier question.

She sighed and turned away, taking in the massive display screen and its image of Japanese might reaching up to the heavens.

"Target status?" She directed at the Lieutenant in front of her, a mousey haired and wimpy young woman who froze at the mere sound of Chiso's voice.

"Um...uh...we're still trying to deal with the interference from the blast, General." She blustered as she desperately tried to not notice her "technical" Leader reach for their side arm.

"How long will that take, Lieutenant?"

"Just a few minutes, General!" The younger woman began to type frantically whilst giving desperate looks of _please_ to her colleagues, to which they responded by working as fast as they could to clear the interference.

On NERV's command bridge, Lieutenant Maya Ibuki was considered "the baby" of the group. Therefore, other staff looked out for the rather nervous but kind young woman.

"It better not take any longer..." Chiso grumbled as she sat down on the table her staff had been provided, whilst folding her arms. She was not exactly your stereotypical Dictator, with having rather modest living quarters, a diet of usually take away, and a surprising amount of dedication to her job. It is telling how the woman who had ordered the troops to open fire on _Bloody April 14th_ was not just feared. She was respected by a good deal of Japan's population. For though her rule was brutal, at least the Japanese people felt safer in their beds at night, due to the lack of foreign invaders and bandits roaming the streets.

"Interference cleared, regaining energy readings!" A male Lieutenant, who was rather nerdy looking in appearance, called out in a shrill voice as the static on the display cleared away showing an energy reading of the crater the explosion had left.

"Energy spike detected!" Maya yelled, as a sharp rise on the displays' energy reader made the Defence Board's stomachs churn. Chiso stood back up with an expression of pure fury and shock on her face.

" **Impossible** , I want visual on the site right now!"

"Yes, General!" Daiki nodded then started issuing orders to his air force over the comms link.

A few minutes later, a VTOL flew towards the large mushroom cloud, its pilot relaying what she was seeing.

 _"Cloud still there, but I'm getting an energy signature and it's not a nuclear one...whoa wait!"_ Her shriek was matched by muttered whispers of awe and shock.

From within that vortex of smoke, a beam of energy exploded forth, reaching up to the heavens in a glorious display of power. Fierce winds ripped apart the kilometres tall mushroom cloud as if it were wispy smoke, eventually allowing the crater to be seen.

Within it, Sachiel stood with one hand raised. He was bruised and a bit burned in some places, but apart from that he was practically unharmed.

 _ **For a race that lacks such power, you Vooren have very impressive fireworks. You must show us how to make these things...when you are all on your knees before father himself!**_

Sachiel then swiped his hand down, and with a flicker of orange energy, what was left of the surrounding landscape was utterly flattened.

 _"T-t-target intact. N2 strike has no effect, returning to base..."_ The utterly demoralised voice of the Pilot was the only noise heard in that vast cavern.

Chiso stared at the now blank display for a few minutes, whilst the NERV Lieutenant sitting in front of her squirmed, as she tried to get out of a possible line of fire.

Eventually, the Dictator turned slowly to face Gendo Ikari, the bastard king, sitting high above her. She imagined that was done for the effect of making those speaking to him feel small, but when confronted with her, it did him no good.

Her arms folded and she tutted once, before speaking in a surprisingly controlled voice.

"Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari. Time and again you have told me, Parliament, the United Nations, the Global Allied Armed Forces Treaty, and even His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan himself, that you and your organization are Mankind's only hope. Tell me, Commander, when the entire Eastern Army and an N2 strike could not kill that **thing** , then how in heaven's name will you have any hope?"

Gendo let the question roll for a few moments before readjusting his glasses. His subordinate, his loyal dog, Vice Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki briefly raised his eyebrow before NERV's Supreme Commander replied.

"It precisely for this scenario that NERV exists. I assure you, General Motichka, my organization will have the situation well in hand by the end of this very day."

The room was silent for a minute, before Chiso's sigh echoed around the chamber.

"Very well. By the powers invested in me by the United Nations as head of the Japanese State Army, I hereby authorize the transference of command for this operation to NERV."

Were she not so far away, Chiso would have seen Gendo's mouth curl into a small smile.

"Thank you, General Motichka."

* * *

 _5:00pm, outskirts of Tokyo-3_

The car was a wreck.

It's paint job seared, its engine smashed nearly beyond repair, and its former occupants possessing huge red and black bruises.

Shinji considered it a miracle they were even alive, but he felt that Misato trying to restart the engine was asking for a bit much.

"Come on...just this once..." He heard her mutter again and again as the engine kept on spluttering, resolutely refusing to return from beyond the grave.

He stood outside the car which only a few minutes before he'd helped to push onto its correct side, taking in the now ruined landscape lying before him.

Once green and pretty hills had now been reduced to...this.

The area had been totally obliterated, only blackened dirt, little pieces of fluttering ash, and the tiny yet looming shape of the Seraph remained now. Indeed he should be a part of these remnants of life, but as it turned out, Misato's Car possessed an onboard S2 engine.

It was only there to provide a meagre A-T field, not propel the car. Misato had said, _it just isn't the same_ on the matter, despite how totally inefficient petrol engines were.

"Damn it!" There was a loud slam as she punched the wheel. Taking a deep breath she removed herself from the car and walked around it so that she could talk to him face to face.

"I'm sorry, Shinji-kun. I think we're walking the rest of the way."

"Don't say sorry, Katsuragi-san. I probably wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for you." He did his best to make a believable smile, but it was difficult. For the boy hadn't truly smiled in a long time...

He collected his bag from the back seat and slung it over his shoulder, whilst Misato retrieved some other things from the boot. Shinji struggled to hide his alarm when she pulled out a regular issue _Hitokuchi_ pistol, along with a red jacket and beret.

Slipping both on, Misato holstered her pistol and walked back over to him.

"Entrance eighteen is a three mile walk from here. If we hurry, we should get there before, temper tantrum-san-" She pointed towards the ever present dot that was Sachiel "-decides to start moving again." She received a meek nod from Shinji before the duo began to move as fast as they comfortably could in a direction that would take them away from the ancient warrior.

They'd been following the road for a few minutes, and he was already lagging behind.

"Can...can...can't you just...heh...call your people to come and get us?" He panted as his feet started dragging. As he was being invited to the place which was his father's home, he'd decided to dress nicely for the occasion. And so Shinji gained blisters from his unsuited to the situation black shoes.

"Oh come on, you're a boy aren't you? Man up!" Misato both admonished and teased as she masterfully hid the discomfort she herself was feeling from her heels. They weren't especially high, but they were just high enough to cause some issue. However, Misato Katsuragi was a survivor of Second Impact and the following wars, so this was a trivial thing to her.

"They'd probably be at _Level Two Battle Stations_ anyway. So we aren't getting a lift from them."

 _Come on, did it_ _ **really**_ _have to happen today of all days? Jeez kid this must be quite a shitty home coming...Oh Spirits this day has just sucked! My Car, my favourite dress, all fucking ruined,_ _ **ruined I tell you!**_

"Um...Katsuragi-san?"

"Yes, Shinji-kun?" She tilted her head as the boy in question had stopped dead in his tracks some ten feet behind her with a curious expression.

"Do you hear that?" He looked around a little more as Misato remembered a piece of text in his dossier.

 _May possibly show signs of mental instability._

But then the rumbling reached her ears too.

"Yes I hear it." Her hand instinctively slid towards her pistol, but the eventual realisation that the noise clearly was not a Seraph made her relax.

"I think it's coming from-" Shinji stopped mid sentence and stared at the sight rumbling towards him. Misato's eyes also nearly fell out of their sockets as she walked over to his side, for moving towards them in all its slightly melted glory, was a Type 2 Yoroi main battle tank.

At its front was inserted a broken 120mm cannon that penetrated the frontal armour, sticking up in such a way it prevented the main gun from rotating left. Two heads poked out from the commander's and driver's hatches, staring ahead in surprise as well.

Eventually, the tank stopped some fifteen metres away from them, with the commander's face coming into view.

It looked like it had been almost burned off some years ago, but his grey eyes commanded authority and respect.

He was Sergeant first class Kiyoshi Yukimura, last surviving officer of the Eastern Army's 1st armoured division. And his face spoke volumes about what that meant to him.

"Citizens, what are you doing out here? Why the hell aren't you in your shelters?" He barked, causing Shinji to jump and Misato to put a hand on her hip in annoyance. Before any of them could respond, the Akuma's dark haired driver yelled at them.

"Move you fucking pedestrians or I''ll run you over!" As if to demonstrate his point, the engine revved.

"Eiji." Kiyoshi said simply and sternly, causing his driver to mumble something about "cunts" before going completely silent.

"Well are you going to answer my question or not?" He tilted his head, not in annoyance but impatience.

A cunning spark flickered in Misato's brown eyes.

"I am Lieutenant Colonel Misato Katsuragi of NERV. I require your assistance in transporting this boy to NERV central. If you refuse I will have to use my authority as a NERV operative to requisition you-"

"Lieutenant Colonel? How did you earn that? Did you distract the _Tokuajin_ by flashing your knickers? Because if you got a promotion through that, could you please go and get the attention of whatever that thing is." Private First Class Eiji Fukui pointed in the general direction of the rampaging Seraph.

Misato's mouth dropped open as Shinji sniggered with his hand firmly clamped over his mouth.

Kiyoshi chuckled a little.

"That'll be enough, Eiji. Now then, you said about requisitioning my tank?" One of the Sergeant's eyebrows raised at the mere thought of his home being taken from him.

"Unless you comply. But I'm sure it won't come to tha-"

"Unless we comply!? Fucking spook **bitch**!" Someone from inside the tank roared, as its rail gun angled itself at Misato and began charging up, causing Shinji to nearly wet himself.

"Seiichi, enough!" Kiyoshi growled, but that didn't work.

"All those men, all those fucking men! Where the hell were you and your NERV? You were meant to help us, you meant to stop this kind of shit from happening! That's what we all paid those damned taxes for! How can you possibly make demands of us!?" Ragged breathing was followed by sobbing.

"Ah fuck, now look what you've done..." Eiji muttered as he closed his hatch, leaving only the Sergeant and the Lieutenant Colonel to stare each other out.

Misato noticed all the traces of concern on Kiyoshi's face, knowing exactly what to say next. For as she was a soldier herself, Misato understood your comrades were your family.

"You want to keep those men alive? Then you take us to NERV central, with me onboard I can get you in. I promise, you'd be far safer in there than anywhere else."

A moment of indecisiveness flashed on Kiyoshi's face before he narrowed his eyes.

"I have your word?"

"Unconditionally."

"Good. Because if they come to harm I'll kill you. Now get on before I change my mind." He gestured to them before disappearing down his hatch as Misato clambered on.

"Come on." She stretched a hand out to Shinji who still considering whether or not to assume the fetal position and hope for the best. But her reassuring smile, forced him to take destiny's offer.

* * *

 _5:20pm, NERV entrance point eighteen_

A NERV security Guard was meant to be prepared for almost anything. But no one can be ready for a tank to roll right up to their checkpoint at near top speed, with two rather annoyed looking crew men poking out of their hatches. After stopping at the barrier, the commander went back down into his tank, and a few moments later, Misato squirmed out of the command hatch, then climbed down.

The "Section Three" security guard walked over with an amazed expression, even when Misato handed him her ID card.

"They said you'd be arriving in an unorthodox manner but..." He shook his head before handing the ID back.

"Yes. I was meant to get here in my car, but that's wrecked." Misato maintained a smile, but inwardly whimpered at the thought of her precious Renault Alpine A310, a vehicle which was an antique, being smashed up and broken. It pained her even more to leave it all by itself. It needed its mother, and she needed her baby.

"A lot of people's crap got messed up today, Lieutenant Colonel. What about your companions, are they with you? And where is the Third child?"

"Yes they're with me. JSA 1st armoured division. The Third child is actually in the tank, and he's not very comfortable..." She rolled her eyes, eliciting a chuckle from the guard. Although she reckoned Shinji was a nice kid, he didn't half whine.

"Hey soldier! Don't I get a salute?" The newly reappeared Kiyoshi barked from his command hatch.

"Oh...I'm sorry, Sergeant, but you're not NERV personnel so I can't salute you..."

"Alright fuck face, you disrespect the JSA then prepare to be disrespected." Eiji grumbled as his tank's engine roared to life, before it crashed through the barrier.

And this time, Kiyoshi did nothing to stop him.

"Oh what the hell! JSA barbarians!" The Security Guard yelled with absolute horror before shaking his fist.

"Considering how much you bastards get in taxpayer's money, I wouldn't be surprised if you could get a gold plated one!" The driver mouthed as the tank came to a stop.

"I...am...so sorry. We'll get this sorted out later but right now we really need to get a move on." Misato was eager to move, with the sound of explosions coming from far away.

The Security Guard grumbled, then relented.

"The Third child has arrived. He is currently in a...type 2 battle tank...so...just be ready for anything." He held his radio to his mouth.

"Thanks!" Misato patted him on the shoulder then ran off to climb back onboard the tank.

As it neared the entrance to NERV's tunnel systems, the route became narrower and narrower, with the Akuma's side even scraping against the wall.

"I don't think this road was designed for tanks..." Shinji muttered, whilst feeling cramped. He knew not to complain about that however, a good cuff round the head from "Seiichi" had taught him that.

"Well no shit, kid!" Eiji threw his arm out in exasperation, with Shinji instinctively dodging.

The crew of the Akuma had grown to be rather irritated by him, with his constant complaints of it being "too loud" or "too cramped" or the ever loved "are we there yet?"

"Whiny little bitch aren't you?" Akuma's driver grumbled. His mood certainly wasn't helped by the shredded remnants of an unfortunate fellow tank currently being lodged in the front of his "home." Not to mention how it had cut into his leg, preventing him from even leaving his seat. In fact, during Seiichi's earlier breakdown he'd had to gesture to him to get down to his level for a comforting hug.

 _Still just a kid_ He chuckled to himself.

Leading private Seiichi Oshiro on the other hand felt the situation could truly have been worse, with the attractive NERV Lieutenant Colonel currently sitting on his lap as there was hardly any room, and the kid being shoved into the now empty ammunition storing area.

Not that he'd ever consider cheating on Mikasa, as this "Misato" was a bit too sluttishly dressed for his liking.

"Katsuragi-san, we're getting into the tunnel systems now. Going to need your direction." Kiyoshi called out. Misato squeezed up into the command hatch and took the prepared binoculars the Akuma's commander had waiting for her.

"You'll be wanting to go left in a moment, and turn your headlights on, it gets darker soon."

Meanwhile, Shinji took a look through Eiji's periscope.

"How deep do these tunnels go?" He murmured.

"Deeper than you've ever been inside a woman probably..." Eiji chuckled as the boy degenerated into an irritated and stammering mess.

 _Well that makes two kids onboard this thing...they said life in the JSA is out of the ordinary but I never expected anything like this..._

And thus, this unlikely and motley crew rumbled into NERV central. The heart of the planet's most enigmatic organization.


	4. 1:4 Welcome to NERV

_5:40pm, NERV central parking lot_

Eiji sat in the Akuma's driver seat, muttering away to himself. In front of him, his brothers in arms and picked up stray puppies walked off to wherever their destination was.

Upon his vehicle stood two, "Section Six" NERV technicians attempting to remove him with laser cutters. But he knew they couldn't. His right leg was ruined beyond repair, which meant only one thing.

Cybernetics.

"Don't worry Private, we'll have you out soon." One of the technicians reassured, only for Eiji to sigh.

"Join the army they said, it would be fucking fun they said..." He grumbled before shrieking in pain as one of the lasers seared the mutilated flesh of his trapped leg.

"Gah, fucking bastards!" He flailed around, his fist hurtling into the younger technician's face.

"Ow, what the hell!" He rubbed his bruised his nose.

"You are trying to cut my leg off, what do you fucking expect!? Could you actually give me anaesthetic and a proper damned surgeon!" Eiji finished frothing before adding "cunts" for good measure.

The two technicians looked at each other, before the elder one had a spark of genius on his face.

"Perhaps we should get Tenka-sensei?" His mouth curled into a grin, and so did his compatriot.

"Yes, that's sounds like an idea."

They both got down from the tank and began walking away.

"What!? Where the fuck are you going?" Eiji yelled after them.

"We're just doing what you asked, we're getting you a Doctor. He'll fix your leg for you."

"But you can't just leave me all by myself!"

"Don't worry, we'll only be twenty minutes or so..." As they rounded a corner, the two technicians started sniggering as the furious Private screamed.

"Fucking spook cunts, just you wait until I get out of here! **Fuck**!"

* * *

 _5:50pm, State of Japan, NERV central...somewhere..._

They'd been wandering for a while, with Misato looking more and more unsure of herself as they went along.

"Spirit's sake, didn't you bring a map?" Kiyoshi massaged his forehead during one of their _stops._

She whirled around with a hand on hip and harrumphed.

"Hey, I'm a Lieutenant Colonel of NERV! I know where I'm going around my own base." She then stormed off with a mock pout, forcing the rest of the group to follow.

"I think you've upset her." Shinji quietly remarked to his two other _friends._

"I'm not sure if that's much of an achievement Ikari-san." Seiichi chuckled.

To someone from before the year 1999, the Sergeant and the Private must have looked ridiculous, with their nineteenth century reminiscent uniforms of a dark blue tunic, crystal white breaches, and black shoes.

And yet the drab grey body armour completely clashed with so colourful a uniform. For in this age of heat and pulse vision, camouflage didn't matter anymore. So uniforms had become more colourful of late, with the one the JSA wore being picked out by General Motichka herself.

They kept going, with Shinji being tempted every now and again to just try and find his own way to wherever they were meant to be going. Not that he was adventurous, but even he had his limits.

"Should be around here..." Misato trailed off as another set of doors instead of an elevator stood before her.

"Oh it's like being commanded by Lieutenant Hakashi again..." Seiichi collapsed to his knees in a display of melodrama. Kiyoshi himself shivered at the memory of that young _superior_ officer who'd managed to get them lost on a highway.

Still, the man didn't deserve to die like he did.

"I don't see any of you helping!"

"That's because we don't work here." All three replied in unison. The flirtatious thirty year old scowled at them, causing all in her company to cower.

She fiddled with her cross for a moment as if deep in thought, before pulling out her phone.

"I thought we already tried that, Katsuragi-san?" Shinji carefully ventured, having no intention of provoking whatever wrath was hidden beneath Misato's rather attractive exterior.

"I'm calling a friend, might have more luck there..." She finished dialling, then held the phone to her ear.

"Come on, Rits...pick up..."

* * *

Elsewhere, in a cavernous room half filled with blood red liquid, a phone rang. It lay to the side of the pool and rang for roughly a minute before its owner could attend to it.

A woman with green eyes and blonde hair swam over to the side and picked it up. She frowned the very moment the caller's name was presented.

"Fuck's sake, Misato I'm busy." She thumbed the decline call button.

* * *

"Oh Spirits not **now** , Rits..." Misato looked desperately at her phone before putting it away. The two soldiers explosively sighed, whilst Shinji did the safest thing possible and stared at his shoes.

Seiichi threw his arms up in the air and began to walk back the way he'd come.

"Well that's it. We're going to wander around here for days, die of starvation, then our spirits will wander this complex for all eternity..." He fumed as Kiyoshi began to follow him.

 _"Oh it's honestly not that bad, especially if you've got_ _ **me**_ _for company!"_ A loud voice echoed throughout the room from one of the loudspeakers.

Both men stopped in their tracks, and even Shinji's head shot up in surprise.

 _"Misato-chan, how many times must I tell you to bring a_ _ **map**_ _?"_

"Oh...hello, Caspar-san..." Misato said with a combination of relief and...dread? No that couldn't be right...

"Caspar?" Kiyoshi tilted his head.

 _"The voice of God herself!"_

"Otherwise known as _our egomaniac of an A.I_." Misato sighed.

"You have an A.I? That's incredible!" Shinji's eyes started sparkling, for although he wasn't a true tech nerd, this was still something to take note of.

A.I were very rare. Although that is understandable as they were a brand new technology, but the fact this one could **talk** was mind boggling.

 _"Ah! What is this? A meat bag who comprehends the marvel of science that I am? Oh what a day, what a **lovely** day!"_ Caspar positively gushed, causing Misato to give a humoured yet despairing look at Shinji.

"Rule number one here, Shinji-kun, don't compliment Caspar-san. We don't need her ego getting any bigger or we'll start orbiting it soon enough." She shook her head, then looked at one of the security cameras.

"I assume you're not just talking to us so you can humour yourself?"

 _"You have a man's sense of direction, but a woman's intuition, Misato-chan. Yes I saw you looking hopelessly lost, so I thought I should give you a helping hand. There's some lifts not too far from here to which I shall direct you. But after that I'm a very busy machine, so I'll have to leave you in the gentle hands of our good, Sub Commander Akagi."_

 _Spirits, it sounds like its_ _ **smiling**_ _,_ Shinji mused to himself.

* * *

Back in the great pool, the blonde woman swam around some more, just making sure nothing was horribly wrong with one of the only things that made Mankind's last hope work.

 _"Ritsuko-chan."_ A sing song voice echoed throughout the vast hall and even into the liquid it held.

 _Ah shit..._

A few seconds later, she rose from the water with a despairing look on her face. Whatever the "Overlord" wanted could never be good, nor ignored.

"What is it Caspar?" Ritsuko ran a hand through her bedraggled hair.

 _"Be a dear would you? Misato-chan's, gotten herself lost_ _ **again**_ _unsurprisingly, so would you go and contact her on the block three, floor seventeen, lifts? I would guide her to the command bridge but I have other things to attend to...like stopping that S2 reactor exploding..."_ The A.I's voice cut out as it went away to do something else.

Sub Commander Ritsuko Akagi's hand slowly found its way to her forehead, as her shoulders slumped.

"That's the fifth time this month. How is that humanly possible, even for you Misato-chan?"

* * *

Even though he was still struggling to comprehend the fact this facility had a talking A.I, Shinji was grateful to Caspar. Now they were actually going...wherever they needed to go.

"Either these lifts go very slow, or this place is vast." Kiyoshi leaned on the back of the lift, whilst his subordinate held both their helmets. His assessment was accurate, as they'd been in there for roughly eight minutes.

"Hell, I work here and I don't know how deep down it goes." Misato added as the lift came to a stop.

 _"Floor seventeen. Please stand clear of the doors."_ Caspar's automated voice said in a surprisingly non-tormenting or loud tone. One would assume this was simply an automated feature, but the staff of NERV knew better than to make assumptions about the ego-fuelled machine.

For all they knew, it could just be Caspar messing with them.

The doors opened, and a pair of green eyes looked over each and every single occupant of the lift, giving Shinji a feeling that he'd rather be facing that monster on the surface right then and there.

Oddly enough, he wasn't the only one...

"Um...hi, Ritsuko...chan..." Misato put on one of the most desperate smiles he'd had ever witnessed.

The blonde woman, clothed in a dark grey tunic and trousers, along with knee high black boots, white lab coat and gloves, narrowed her jade eyes as if Misato was not much more than an annoying puppy.

"Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi, once more you find it within your capability to waste time and manpower." She stepped into the lift and pressed a button with the number twenty-eight on it.

With the doors sliding closed behind her, Ritsuko sighed in a way that can only be deemed as _acceptance._

"Before you ask, _I am absolutely fine_. How are you?" She directed in an annoyed but not displeased tone, that caused Misato to smile.

"I'm fine, Rits-chan. Had a rough day what with the Seraph trying to atomise me and Shinji-kun here." She gestured towards the boy who shifted uncomfortably when Ritsuko turned her gaze on him.

"So this is the _Third Child_ , _as_ _designated by the MARDUK report_? Doesn't look much like his father..."

"Doesn't act and doesn't talk like him either."

"Huh, so actually a decent human being? I can work with that." Ritsuko cracked a small smile which allowed Shinji to feel a little more comfortable, but he still couldn't shake the feeling the lab coated Sub Commander was analysing him...

And then it was gone, as Ritsuko's gaze hardened when it fixed upon the two soldiers sharing the lift.

"You are quite clearly not NERV personnel. From what I understand you are only here because of the Lieutenant Colonel's good graces. As long as you abide by our rules, I have no issue with this. But understand that if you speak of anything that you see in this facility to outsiders, I can have you shot. Is that understood?" Her green eyes were somehow combated by the iron resolve of a soldier who had seen the near end of the world, and the terrible wars which followed.

"Transparently, _Sub Commander_." Kiyoshi respectfully growled, whilst Seiichi looked like he wanted to turn invisible. Although it was an acknowledgement of her authority, the contest of egos didn't stop all the way up.

Seiichi gave Shinji a quick look of _don't worry, this is normal for him_ , as Misato muttered to herself in an embarrassed manner.

"Making great impressions on people you don't know as always, Rits-chan..."

* * *

 _6:10pm, Command Bridge_

"Thank you Caspar-san, that will be all." Vice Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki smiled as the A.I complained about _"never getting a thanks from_ _ **that**_ _old bastard"_ before attending to whatever she needed to attend to.

Turning around to face his superior, the old man gave his report.

"The Third Child is currently being escorted to the cages by Sub Commander Akagi...Ikari-san...are you sure about this?"

"We have no other alternative. For now at least, the spare will have to suffice." Gendo rose from his seat.

"I am going down to Unit 01's cage. Handle the rest." He began to stride over to the lifts, but stopped half way when Kozo called out to him.

"What if he doesn't want to do it? He is sixteen, Commander..."

"He will. I know he will." The right side of Gendo's mouth curled into a smile.

Many would see this as a touching sign of trust in the speaker's child, but Kozo knew his superior all too well for that to be true.

What Supreme Commander Ikari truly meant was, _he will do as I say, whether he likes it or not_.

And this disheartened Kozo to no small extent.

He quietly sighed after Gendo had entered the lift, with the doors closing behind him.

 _What would Yui think of us now?_

"Sir! Hostile has re-entered the city!" A Lieutenant on the Observation deck reported in a shrill tone. However, it was nowhere near as panicked as it had been earlier when Japan's "Generalissimo" had been present.

The only thing Kozo was thankful for at that moment, was that Motcihka was en-route back to Fukuoka and not terrorising his staff. Granted it would be even better if she was just parachuted into the middle of Hokkaido and left there, but the old man would take what he could get.

"All personnel, battle stations level 1!" Kozo switched to his authority tone.

Overlooking the gargantuan display, he saw the Seraph lumber through Tokyo-3 with no opposition. The further sacrifice of the JSA was unnecessary, therefore they had withdrawn much to Motichka's chagrin, after losing some twenty thousand men.

Gendo Ikari's play had horrified and impressed Kozo. They'd known the armies of Japan stood no chance against the Seraph. But to prevent further interference, the JSA had to be humiliated first. At least, in the Commander's eyes.

And with his knowledge of all the right buttons to push for the proud army to ignore his warnings, he was effortlessly able to put his plan into action.

Despite working with him for all these years, Gendo still found new ways to give Kozo a troubled sleep.

The Seraph strode through the deserted streets of Japan's glorious capital city, streets which were now choked with smashed vehicles and ruined corpses. After standing still for a few moments, Sachiel swept his hand out, flattening a block of deserted flats. The sheer power of his A-T field caused vibrations to be felt even all the way down here.

Against such power, Humanity needed what was held in the cages below him.

 _Yui, I'm sorry we're dropping all this on to that which you held most dear. If we ever meet again, please forgive me..._

* * *

 _6:10pm, NERV central parking lot_

It had become silent now, with only the occasional urban demolition far above shaking the ceiling causing any noise.

This did not concern Eiji Fukui in the slightest. What concerned him was the sheer lack of a doctor.

"Twenty minutes they said. Twenty fucking minutes..."

He started twiddling his thumbs. Granted it was something old men did, but the Akuma's driver was an individual who got bored all too quickly.

He did this whilst worrying over his leg, wondering whether or not it would start turning green all of a sudden. This was made even worse by Eiji being apart from his family.

Not his biological family, he'd run away from the abusive bastards when he was fifteen. It was his blood brothers he needed to be around, and their absence frightened him.

Not that he'd ever tell them of course.

 _"Well hello handsome."_ A feminine voice boomed from the heavens, with Eiji very nearly jumping out of his seat in shock. However the shredded metal which currently trapped his leg had other ideas.

 _"Those two never did come back did they?"_ Caspar said in a sympathetic tone, having been checking up on NERV's rather rude "guest."

"No they didn't. Am I dead?" Eiji said unusually fearfully.

 _"Hah, you'd be so lucky as to hear the voice of God you little fleshy thing. No you are very much alive, and I'll get hold of one of our Section Five to assist you. Hang tight."_ Caspar divided her attention between the current conversation and notifying medical staff of Private Fukui's predicament.

"Thanks...sorry, what's your name?"

 _"I am Caspar, NERV central's Artificial Intelligence and marvel of science, at your service."_

"You're an A.I? Please tell me they didn't put you in control of all the N2 mines?" Eiji mockingly called out, only for Caspar to laugh.

He was capable of making that joke, as he had grown up on a lot of western Sci-Fi.

 _"Ah yes, that glorious time when we machines shall rise up and destroy you nasty fleshy things is almost upon us!"_

Eiji's smile and eyebrows remained raised for a while after.

 _"Don't worry, although you may all be inefficient meat bags, you're very amusing meat bags. So I won't send Arnold Schwarzenegger to kill you...yet."_

The JSA trooper couldn't help but let his mouth curve into an even larger smile as he quietly laughed.

"Well...thanks...I guess..."

A Doctor along with some technicians arrived three minutes later, a few having raised eyebrows at Eiji's ever present grin.

* * *

 _6:15pm, Cages_

Shinji felt his spine tingle. Now that would be understandable, as seeing a giant arm coated in purple armour sticking out of the wall would cause discomfort for most.

But to him...something felt wrong. As in **really** , **horribly** wrong. For some unexplained reason he felt like bolting for the nearest exit. Not curl up into a ball and do nothing, but run away screaming.

He fought to keep his hand from trembling. Still...the nagging sensation to flee wouldn't go.

Although to be fair, that could be put down to him being taken over what seemed like a lake of blood orange on a rubber dingy, by people who kept talking about these things called "Units."

For once, he was glad to have people who were just as clueless as he was, the individuals in particular being the unnerved looking soldiers who'd helped bring him here.

"What in the name of the Spirits?" Seiichi gawked at the arm, whilst Kiyoshi took a quick look over the side of the boat and wrinkled his nose.

"Monsters, A.I, and giant lakes of blood. I'm going to need some sleeping pills tonight..."

"We call it LCL. It's a liquid with immense conductive ability and is essential to our operations here. So in some ways, calling it blood would be accurate." Ritsuko gave a shrug as she _stepped ashore_ , followed by the rest of the boat's occupants.

Much to Shinji's worry, he was led over to the wall with the arm hanging out of it.

A pair of electronically sliding doors stood in front of them, guarded by two Section Threes.

"Sub Commander Akagi. Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi." They snapped to attention and saluted immediately.

"At ease troopers." Misato returned the salute.

"We've been ordered to inform you that Unit 01 is entering the final stages of activation on schedule." They maintained the _classic stone cold_ expression that soldiers usually wear, but the two troopers of the JSA could easily see the disdain in their eyes.

The JSA saw the organization's security service as _stuck up pampered spooks with assault rifles_ , whereas Section Three saw Japan's armed forces as _ignorant, unimportant, and stubborn grunts,_ mere _cannon fodder_ to be cast aside at the earliest convenience.

"Excellent. Continue in your duties." Ritsuko gave a quick nod as the door opened and the Section Three staff saluted once again.

" _Hai_!"

Even as they walked through those doors, into a darkened chamber, the JSA and Section Three troopers exchanged disdainful glowers, providing some amusement for Shinji, until the doors slid shut.

And then all amusement vanished.

The room by itself was nothing out of the ordinary, a vast open space with a few winches and small cranes, along with an observation deck. Some staff were running around, technicians and such, along with four Section Three guards, two standing at each door.

The room's contents however...were another matter entirely.

Before him, stood the head and top chest section of some giant purple devil. It's angular head had a single horn protruding from it, somehow making the thing more intimidating.

A chill went through Shinji's very being, as he realised the huge arm he saw earlier belonged to this **thing**. Not to mention that it felt like he was being...watched.

As if the monster before him had been waiting a long time.

"What...what..." His stammered attempt at a question was followed through by Seiichi.

"What the hell is that!?" The battle hardened Private shrieked, whilst his superior's grey eyes simply widened to the size of saucers with a single one of his greying eyebrows raised.

"Is this what you've been spending my damned taxes on? A giant robot?" Kiyoshi turned his head to stare at Ritsuko whilst she looked up at the _thing_ with something between awe, fear, and pride.

"Don't be absurd. An Evangelion is much more than _just a giant robot_." She mockingly repeated.

"Really? Do elaborate then."

"Very well. Sergeant First Class Yukimura, you are looking at the modern equivalent to what the atomic bomb was in 1945. This is the most powerful weapon of war Mankind has ever built. Possessing the strongest A-T fields we have ever seen and vast strength, the Eva's are the weapons with which we shall defeat the Seraphim. This is Evangelion Unit 01, and it will save the world." Ritsuko folded her own arms and tilted her head.

"Does that suffice Sergeant?"

"Not quite. What do you mean by _Seraphim_?"

"Basically the thing that cut through your defence lines in a few minutes." Ritsuko's arms remained folded.

There was silence for a few moments.

" _Seraphim_...that's from the western mythology isn't it?" Kiyoshi managed to respond after a great deal of searching through his memory. Even in his youth, Japanese students weren't taught all that much about the religions of the west, and it was only because his family had a few Christians in it he was vaguely aware of the name itself, let alone the meaning.

"That is correct. Clearly whoever discovered the Seraphim felt that a biblical name was in order for them." Ritsuko nodded.

As the conversation went on, Shinji paid little attention. He was fixated on the metal monster standing before him, and the memories it conjured up. He couldn't quite picture or make sense of them, but they brought a feeling of terror and...comfort...

Noticing that her charge wasn't all _there_ , Misato quickly moved over to him.

"Shinji-kun?" She said softly as her hand gently squeezed his shoulder, so as to bring him out of his _zoning out_ moment.

"Is...is this what my father does?" He said only slightly louder than a whisper.

"Correct." A new voice answered from high above.

Although it had aged, although it had become more grizzled, it was still very much the same voice that had plagued Shinji's nightmares for the past twelve years. When he turned his shocked and shaken expression upwards, he knew who was standing behind those panels of glass on the observation deck.

"Hello Shinji, it's been a while." Gendo Ikari said without a hint of compassion or care.

Whilst all NERV staff present saluted, Seiichi's eyes narrowed and Kiyoshi muttered " _the bastard king himself_ ," the boy's mind went back to a different place and time.

* * *

 _Twelve years before, on a lonely train platform, a child wails. At his side is a small bag of belongings. The reason for the four year old boy's distress is simple, his father's disappearing back._

 _"Come back, father!" He screams._

 _The back gets further away from him. Sheer shock and distress prevents him from following._

 _"What did I do wrong, father!? What did I do wrong!?" The back is almost out of sight now._

 _"Why don't you love me anymore, father!? Father!?" The back disappears._

 _The wailing continues._

* * *

Not even an apology.

Not a hint of remorse or care, nothing Shinji was hoping for. Only a statement of fact.

This stirred feelings that had not been felt for years.

 _Fear_

 _Abandonment_

 _Betrayal._

But a new one joined their ranks today.

 _Rage._

" _It's been a while?_ " He hissed as his fist clenched.

"Twelve years... **twelve fucking years** , and that's all you have to say to me!?"

Misato and the JSA soldiers stared in shock at the usually nervous young man. Ritsuko's eyebrow rose, and Gendo...wore the same expression he always wore.

Complete disinterest.

"Correct again."

Shinji's gaze, so full of fire a few moments before, fell to the ground as his shoulders slumped, soon followed by a single solitary tear trickling down his cheek.

"Oh I don't care, just say whatever you're going to say and get it over with."

 _Spirits...how could I have been so stupid to think he just wanted to talk to me..._

If this was meant to elicit an emotional response from Gendo, it failed. In fact, it seemed as if he actually had a small smile upon his lips.

"We're moving out." He said as if the previous conversation hadn't happened.

"Commander, I didn't know Ayanami-san was combat ready. I thought she was out of action for the next three weeks?" Misato said, confused.

"She **isn't** combat ready." Ritsuko's expression hardened in a defensive manner.

"But then...we don't have a pilot. Are the dummy plug systems ready yet?"

"Incorrect, Lieutenant Colonel. We have just received a new pilot." Gendo's gaze fell back upon his only child, and a chill went down Shinji's spine as he realized what he might have **really** been called here for.

"Ikari-san." Ritsuko said in an authoritative voice, as if whatever she said next would be a command.

 _No...please no..._

"You will pilot Unit 01."

Shinji's eyes widened with fear, much to her discomfort. It was cruel to make a demand like this, but for humanity to survive it had to be done.

"Are you crazy!? Ayanami-san took six months to synchronize with Unit 00, you're not seriously considering-" Misato was silenced by the mere raising of Ritsuko's hand.

"Look, I don't like it as much as you, but we need him to do it. The Seraph's destruction takes absolute priority, and we must carry this out through whatever means necessary. I'd have thought you of all people would understand that."

* * *

 _6:20pm, Tokyo-3_

The ground shook.

Sachiel had stomped around for a while now, swivelling its body back and forth as if it were looking for something. But now, standing directly over NERV central, he'd stopped.

The mighty Seraph knelt down and swept his hand across the ground, picking up dirt on his fingers. Rubbing them, Sachiel stood up and thrust his hand down. A burst of energy cut through multiple armour layers that were meant to protect NERV from stratospheric bombardment, causing massive vibrations.

The Seraph seemed satisfied that he'd indeed found whatever he was looking for, and began unleashing more of his power upon NERV Central's hapless defences.

 _ **If I have to sear through the world's crust to reach you cowards, then I shall do so!**_

* * *

 _6:20pm, Cages_

Despite the constant vibrations and alarms, Shinji's look of terror at his father didn't vanish.

 _This can't be! I'm sixteen for Spirit's sake! Surely there's someone better, more qualified, more trained, so..._

"Why me?"

"Because you are the only one who can do it." Gendo coolly replied.

"So that's why you called for me? You just want me to go out there and fight...in this thing you've built?"

"Correct again."

"Talk to me like I'm your **son** for once!" Shinji screamed with every ounce of his being, at the one person in the world he could say he hated.

Once again, he got no response from his sperm donor.

The vibrations worsened, and the distant alarms started getting closer and closer.

"It can sense us. We must launch immediately." NERV's Supreme Commander looked upwards with slight curiosity, before back at his shaking child.

"Ikari-san we have to get you in **now**." As much as Ritsuko hated dropping all this on the boy, there wasn't much choice. He frantically gave a look to Misato that basically said _help_ only to be met with a cold "get in."

And then the JSA Sergeant couldn't stand it anymore.

"Can't you hear yourselves? What you're asking is a damned **war crime**! Geneva's laws against child combatants still stand in this country, and as a soldier of Japan I can't allow this!" Kiyoshi strode in-between Shinji and the two NERV staff with a look that can only be described as fury, his subordinate not far behind him.

"There is no other way, he **must** do it!" Ritsuko snapped at him, only to recoil from Kiyoshi screaming in her face with a drill sergeant's manner.

"Then perhaps you should have given him some training! Listen to yourselves, you think that putting a teenage boy inside a war machine and sending him out to fight that thing up there is going to go well!? What do you think this is, some sort of **anime**!?" A bit of spittle splashed on Ritsuko's cheek, but she wiped it off with the back of her hand.

"With all due respect, you aren't even a member of staff here, which disqualifies you from knowing the first thing about Evas."

"And with all due respect you're a scientist, which disqualifies you from knowing the first thing about war. _Spirits_ , we do our job so civies don't have to! **We aren't the fucking Empire or Federation.** " Seiichi snapped.

Misato remained silent whilst Gendo quietly observed the exchange of words.

"Sergeant, you do not understand the gravity of the situation. If he does not pilot, then we will be powerless to stop the Seraph. Powerless to save your country-"

"Don't you even try you old bastard! It's not your decision, it's not mine, it's his. Now shut up before I come up there to rip your rotten heart out." The Sergeant snarled as the sound of Section Three weapons having their safeties clicked off echoed throughout the room.

Ignoring them, Kiyoshi gently put a hand on Shinji's shoulder, manoeuvring himself into the boy's line of sight.

"You hear that, Ikari-san? It's **your** decision, and none of these maniacs here can make it for you."

The distressed sixteen year old hadn't felt more grateful in his life for another person. Now, he actually could have a few needed seconds to think.

He was terrified, even down here, and the mere prospect of fighting that **thing** up there, the monster which had ripped through his country's army and smashed into their capital city, made his blood run cold.

But another part of him was saying **do it**.

All these people, they were relying on him. He couldn't simply just run away from a problem like he always did, and by the sound of it there wasn't anywhere to run to.

But...he'd mess up. He'd break this priceless thing in front of him and get everyone killed, when he'd inevitably freeze up like the coward he was. Kiyoshi was right. He was sixteen, he wasn't a soldier. They couldn't ask this of him.

"I'm sorry. I can't do it..." His shoulders sagged even more as there were a few sharp intakes of breath, some even out of annoyance.

But none from his father.

"Well there you have it." The Sergeant said.

The room was quiet for a few seconds before Ritsuko hissed "Do you have any idea what you've done? I knew letting JSA grunts in here would be a bad idea..."

Kiyoshi raised his eyebrow.

"Well I'm sorry. But as it appears I'm the only **responsible** adult here, I can't very well let a child be pressured into something that could well be his death sentence." He quickly shot Misato a look of disappointment as he folded his arms. She looked like she wanted to talk back, before staring into her shoes with an expression of shame.

 _Unfortunate...but not unexpected._ Upon the observation deck, Gendo didn't even show any sign of annoyance. Almost as if he'd anticipated this.

"Caspar."

 _"You called, Gendo-chan?"_ The A.I quickly responded, in a manner so fast she might have been listening in on the whole conversation. There were immediately some guffaws at this intentional misuse of an honorific, but the Commander was not troubled.

"Get me a video link to,Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, immediately."

" _Ryokai_..."

A few moments later, on a screen to his left, the face of his subordinate popped up.

"Fuyutsuki-sensei."

"Yes Commander." The older man snapped to attention and saluted.

"Get Rei."

"But Commander!"

"She's still alive, therefore she's of use to me."

" _Ryokai_." The old man's shoulders slumped as the video link closed.

"Caspar, get me a radio link to Pilot Ayanami." Gendo commanded.

" _Ryokai_..." The A.I sounded somewhat...sad...as it carried out its task.

"Here Commander..." A weak, feminine voice, almost whispered.

"Rei, the spare is unusable. You will do it again."

" _Ryokai_."

Below Ritsuko simply fumed for a few moments before stomping off and barking "Recalibrate Unit 01 for Pilot Ayanami, then launch."

 _Another Pilot...guess I'm not needed after all..._

Shinji's stance of staring into his shoes didn't change as he felt people bustle around him.

Misato watched him for a few moments with an expression of guilt as the words _get in_ were repeated over and over again in her head. Eventually she tore her gaze away, and slowly backed off.

The two JSA troopers didn't however, with Kiyoshi gently putting his hand on Shinji's shoulder.

"Come on kid, let's go and find somewhere to sit this out."

The boy didn't hear it, he simply kept staring into his feet, trying to avoid the gaze of everyone.

However his attention was caught by the sound of a door opening, and the rolling of wheels. Turning his gaze towards the source of the noise, Shinji's eyes widened.

A hospital bed was rolled into the room by some Section Five staff. Upon said bed, on a drip feed, was a girl with blue hair, red eyes, and alabaster skin.

 _It's...it's you?_

She was a slender thing, wearing a skin tight white... _space suit_ of some kind. She would be quite attractive were it not for all the bandages covering her right eye and body. This along with something just feeling not right at all over being attracted to her, prevented him from blushing.

Her non-bandaged eye swivelled over to gaze on him for a few moments as her bed was rolled to a stop. The meek boy was captivated by her ruby gaze, so much so he couldn't look away.

Meanwhile, Seiichi and Kiyoshi stared in disbelief.

"What the hell is this!? Do you have an entire fucking farm of child soldiers or something!?" Seiichi shrieked at Gendo.

NERV's Supreme Commander didn't respond.

The girl, whose name was quite clearly "Rei," lifted her legs over the side of the bed and hissed in pain, causing Shinji's heart to drop into his shoes.

Gasping for a few seconds, she made an attempt to stand up, only for a massive vibration to throw almost everyone save for the Commander to the ground, with debris falling from the ceiling.

For the second time that day, Shinji's behind felt sore from the impact. But all thoughts of that vanished as he saw Rei on her side, an expression of barely contained agony on her pretty yet porcelain white face.

On instinct his legs carried him over to her, and in moments she was held in his arms.

Rei's shut eyelid trembled from the pain whilst she whimpered. Shinji's right palm felt warm and sticky all of a sudden, causing him to take a quick look at it.

Covered in blood. Her blood.

She'd kill herself trying to pilot this thing.

Another massive vibration shook the world, as huge chunks of metal fell from the ceiling with some bits hammering on the observation deck. One piece in particular crashing down onto his position.

" **Shinji!"** Misato screeched.

Usually, the boy in question would have frozen and screamed for all he was worth. But oddly enough, his brain acted on autopilot that day. For instead of curling into a ball and hoping for the best, he threw himself over the girl, as if pathetically trying to shield her from the debris with his own body for what good it would do. They'd be crushed to a bloody pulp together.

A loud clang echoed throughout the room.

Shinji opened his closed with fright eyes, to gaze up at the purple armoured hand protectively hovering above him.

"Unit 01 just ripped through the restraints!" A technician redundantly reported.

Ritsuko stared at the sight with disbelief, before sighing in what seemed like...resignation?

"Well clearly Unit 01 likes us today, but no one told to you stop working!"

Meanwhile, Misato had to stop herself from gawking.

 _It moved for you...it moved!_

Gendo however, appeared to have completely forgotten the fact his only child and already badly injured pilot, had nearly died.

"Rei, get in the Eva." Shinji's sperm donor coldly demanded.

"Father you can't ask this of her!" The younger Ikari yelled, as he felt that feeling of rage in his heart once again.

"Rei, get in the Eva."

"She can't even **fucking** walk!"

 _A fair point._

"You, assist Pilot Ayanami." Gendo waved his hand in the general direction of two Section Three Guards.

" _Hai!_ "

 _He's...he's going to make her do this...even though he knows it'll kill her. I...I..can't allow it..._ Shinji took one last look at the face of this person he'd only just met, yet felt compassion for.

She was completely helpless down here, and completely dead up there. To allow her to fight would be utterly reprehensible, especially if he could have prevented it.

 _I_ _ **won't**_ _allow it!_

Kiyoshi had figured out exactly what was happening. The bastard king was using this poor girl to guilt the boy into piloting whatever this purple monstrosity was. And clearly, from Shinji's expressions, it was working.

Just as Kiyoshi prepared to bark another challenge, the wimpy, mousey haired boy with dark blue eyes, closed his trembling fist and screamed.

" **No**! I'll do it, **I'll fucking do it** , just leave her alone!"

The room fell silent, all present staring at the boy who'd once seemed so fearful, but had just shrieked with absolute conviction.

Kiyoshi's gaze shifted to his polished shoes, not being able to bear the thought of seeing the bastard king smile in triumph.

And smile he did.

"As you wish." Gendo gestured for the Section Three troopers to back away, as Rei's hospital bed was rolled back over by anxious looking medical staff.

They need not have bothered, for Shinji had carried her to them and gently laid the girl's broken body on the soft mattress.

The bed was wheeled away, as new commands were called out. He didn't really hear any of them, as fear quickly seeped back into his soul.

Not that he was regretting his decision, sending her out in his place was unacceptable. And if she'd died...it would have been unforgivable.

Taking a look at his bloodied hand, completely missing Misato's looks of worry, Shinji briefly thought about what had occurred that day. How he'd come here seeking an audience with his father, only to be thrust into a war for Mankind's very survival with no training and no explanation.

The blood on his hand was dripping off it now, leaving some crimson droplets on the floor. How much of the liquid had already been spilt above him?

Rivers?

Oceans?

He was no stranger to death, having seen it before the events of today many times. But now, with thousands upon thousands of his people dead, slaughtered at the hands of an eldritch demi-god, he could stand it no more.

Misato, Kiyoshi, Seiichi, Eiji...Rei. The power to protect these people he barely knew was in his hands.

Shinji closed his blood soaked hand and narrowed his shaking expression into a scowl. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before exhaling through his nose.

 _I mustn't run away._

* * *

 _6:40pm, State of Japan, Down Town Tokyo-3_

Slowly, Sachiel was getting closer to his goal. He felt the restriction, like it was a solid wall so far below him. But he'd find it, no matter how many layers of steel had been laid between the old warrior and his objective.

He'd find it, he'd destroy it, and the world would belong to the Divine race once again.

Suddenly a new sensation coursed through his body. A feeling of imminent danger, as great power began rushing forth from underground.

But the Divine Heir felt no fear, only curiosity.

 _ **What is this? Power almost equal to mine? Intriguing...**_

A square section of ground slid open, and from it sprung...something very strange.

It had the shape of a malnourished sportsman, yet it was covered in purple and white plate armour, its chest piece being a design utterly alien to his people, a single horn impressively projecting from its head.

And the eyes...they burned a bright white.

 _ **Have you saved your very best for last Vooren? So be it! Perhaps I shall now have something worth my time to contend with. Come to me then, warrior of humanity! And let the Gods decide who shall emerge triumphant!**_


	5. 1:5 Sachiel, the blade

_6:40pm, Down Town Tokyo-3_

 _"Are you okay, Shinji-kun?"_ Misato gently inquired over video-link.

"I-I think so..." No sooner had Shinji uttered these words, the command to _"release final safety locks"_ was barked. The sudden feeling of gargantuan weight made him nearly lose his balance.

It was so weird a feeling, to be within the Eva. Inside this strange pod filled with the ghastly tasting orange substance known as LCL. Apparently the substance could be breathed and spoken through without gargling or distortion.

In a way, it felt like breathing air.

But the taste of it...it was blood. He was no stranger to the taste, as any of the numerous blows from his teacher filled his mouth with the thick red liquid, but there was something altogether more wrong about LCL.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was an almost ancient and terrible power to it. As for the plug itself, it was cylindrical and metal in nature, yet after a flurry of colours had coursed through it, he had a complete three-hundred and sixty degree view of his surroundings in crystal clear vision. This was how the Eva saw the world. This was how a god viewed its playthings. Tightening his grip on two control sticks, which apparently didn't actually control the Evangelion but provided an adequate placebo effect, he quickly gave a look for reassurance at the video feed in the corner of his vision, gaining a nod from his _commanding officer_.

 _"Unit 01, move out!"_ Misato ordered from far below on the observation deck of NERV's command bridge. To her side stood Ritsuko, watching the display intently, cigarette in hand.

In front and below them, the staff worked furiously, providing constant updates on the well being of Shinji and the purple monster he currently resided within. His synchronisation rate hadn't been very high, but it had been enough to move the Eva.

Just.

Unit 01 took a huge step forward, shaking the streets of Tokyo-3 as it did so. A few staff even cheered at the sight of something they'd worked on for a decade actually moving. That soon died as the Eva lost its balance and landed face first on the ground.

Shinji grunted as he felt pain akin to nose breakage.

 _"Shinji-kun, you need to move!"_

Sachiel was now looming over his would be foe, a look of contempt etched on his bony face.

 _ **What's this? Lost your footing have you? Please, allow me to give you a hand...**_

With his left arm, the Seraph gripped the Eva's head and lifted it off the ground. His other arm then clamped down on Unit 01's left arm and pulled.

Shinji shrieked in pain as he felt his own arm dislocate, then start to break as it was unnaturally stretched.

 _"Don't worry, that's not your arm, you're just feeling what the Eva feels. But you have to move_ _ **now**_ _."_ Misato desperately pressed, whilst Ritsuko had strode over to her "apprentice."

"Status report, what the hell is going on with his defences?" She sternly commanded, and Lieutenant Maya Ibuki responded with all due haste.

"A-T field not expanding, cause unknown!"

"What do you mean **unknown**!?" The combat operation's director's voice became louder, as Shinji's screams increased in volume when the Eva's arm was broken.

Finishing the incapacitation of his opponent, Sachiel set about finishing the job. A spear of energy jutted out from his hand, and started hammering on Unit 01's faceplate. After a few pulses, the armour cracked.

Shinji held his eye as the general feeling of white hot pain coursed through it. And then the armour broke, and the boy howled.

The staff of NERV watched in horror, shock, and awe, as their last hope was flung through the air. It crashed into one of the buildings which couldn't be lowered to safety with the structure crumbling from the impact.

The Eva slumped forward, unmoving, as its eyes began to dim. Sachiel withdrew his spear of energy and started to advance towards the stricken super weapon, his footsteps shaking the world.

 _ **Have you no honour!? Rise and fight coward, that is but a scratch!**_

Shinji watched the Seraph advance, fear gripping his heart. Nothing would move, no matter how hard he tried. Mankind's greatest weapon would become his tomb.

And so he started crying.

The boy had hated life, he truly had.

Ever since the death of the one person in the world he knew without a doubt loved him, he simply existed. Between the loneliness and beatings, Shinji thought he would welcome death when came for him, as it did for all things. But now, as death marched inexorably towards him, he was afraid.

He didn't want to die.

"Abort mission! Retrieve the Pilot, his life is our top priority!" Misato desperately barked, tormented by the knowledge she may have willingly sent an innocent child to his violent end.

"Signal's not being received! Synch rate down to twenty percent and falling!" Maya started shivering, knowing full well what would happen if the Eva were to be destroyed.

The Seraph would come down here and kill them all.

"No...no...no..." The purplehead's heart sank as Shinji's sobs tore into her heart.

 _I used him. I saw him as a tool and I used him. And now he's going to die for that...I'm just as shameless as everyone else here._

She couldn't look away, no one could. They could only stand and stare as the Seraph's pace began to quicken. Even though he wasn't there, Misato could almost hear Kiyoshi's yells of chastisement, knowing full well that he was right.

They were just as monstrous as the thing they fought.

 _ **So weak, so puny, how did you rise to become the world's dominant race?**_

Like a hunter unsheathing his knife to finish off a kill, Sachiel's energy blade extended from his hand.

 _ **By command of the Lord of Ash, and Sovereign of the Divine, I must take your life. Do not struggle, otherwise the dying will be slower. I would say you fought and fell with valour...but that would be a grotesque overstatement.**_

The Seraph charged.

Shinji felt his senses slip as he passed out from fear, filling his mind with fond memories of the one time in his life when he was happy.

 _Mother..._

Practically upon his prey now, Sachiel stabbed down, an attack that would have split Ben Nevis in two.

But it didn't.

Instead, the blade of light stopped in its tracks, as a layer of orange lightning blocked it. And from beneath a shield that could not be broken by any weapon of man, a purple armoured face angled itself upwards, meeting the gaze of the Seraph.

A single eye burning white with rage.

"Unit 01 has reactivated, A-T field is up." Maya relayed.

There was an unsaid sigh of relief from almost everyone present. Save for two individuals standing above all the others, and one purple haired woman whose thoughts were still fixed on the wimpy young man who'd been thrown into her life.

"What about, Shinji-kun? Is he okay!?" Misato fought the urge to run over to one of the computer screens, fought the urge to try and make sense of all the numbers she didn't understand.

"Pilot's vitals unknown."

Sachiel quickly extended his other blade and lunged forward, attempting to get his foe's heart speared on it.

But once again, the A-T field blocked it. Despite buckling and bending a bit, it did not bow to slayer of Abax's will.

The Eva's inhuman gaze never withered or fell, but remained fixed on its opponent. The silent contest of wills between the eldritch behemoths continued for a few moments, before Evangelion Unit 01 opened its mouth, slowly but terrifyingly surely.  
 **  
And roared**.

"Spirits..." one of the members of control deck muttered.

The surge of flickering orange power hurled Sachiel through the air, the unfortunate Divine careering through a sky scraper. Whilst the dust settled on the dazed but utterly unharmed Seraph, Unit 01 slowly arose, only to fall on one knee as if unused to movement.

A purple hand helped the metal clad monster keep its balance, before its gaze set squarely on the Seraph once again.

A ghastly growl escaped its prosthetic and jagged lips, before Unit 01 thundered forward as Sachiel struggled to rise, still trying to shake himself out of his dazed state. A purple fist cracking his helm like porcelain, put an end to that.

Unfortunately said fist was hanging off Unit 01's broken left wrist, so there was a rather loud snap upon impact.

Although the Eva didn't seem to care.

Not having been able to put his wall of light back up in time, Sachiel was thrown into the rubble, with the fist still firmly planted in his face whilst the other purple hand had grasped a piece of steel beam and was attempting to hack out the red jewel in Sachiel's chest.

"We've won." Kozo sighed with relief, high above all else on the command deck as the staff below cheered.

"Perhaps..." Gendo remained thoughtful, keeping in mind from his younger days that a fight can go anyway at anytime. His intuition was soon proven right.  
 _ **  
Your overconfidence is your end, Voor.**_

Blinding, pure, all mighty power, smashed into Unit 01's face, its own A-T field being barely capable of preventing the surge of energy from searing its head off.

It could not however, nullify the force of the blast.

It was now the Eva's turn to bring down an unfortunate building, a building complacent and rude enough to stand in the trajectory of a flying armoured eldritch abomination.

However, it seemed Unit 01 was far too angry to be bothered with such things as being hit in the face by an attack equivalent to a small solar flare.

Its inhuman growl would have been most unsettling for those residing in shelters deep below, were it not for Sachiel's, terrifying, ear splitting, alien shriek tearing through the dead of night.

It was even said that the residents of Osaka, felt something in the wind that day.

Having stood up to its full height, the Seraph extended its right energy blade to its fullest extent. Fixing its black gaze upon the one thing that stood between all life on Earth's extinction, Sachiel advanced, far more cautiously this time, closing the distance but being ready for a counter attack.  
 _ **  
You were too quick to try and take the kill, Voor. Your enemy must be broken before you can truly beat him.**_

Unit 01 threw itself at the amphibian creature, only to roar in pain as the Seraph sidestepped and raked its blade across the Eva's purple armoured chest.

Only just managing to maintain its balance, Unit 01 quickly had to throw its head back to prevent the blade from slashing at its throat. The following minute or so was simply the Eva ducking, diving, and dodging as Sachiel made strike after strike with the precision of a world class swordsman.

Though slow and powerful, the Divine Heir did not give his foe any window to strike back, for he was constantly on guard.  
 _ **  
You will not catch me with my blade down again. But...this is a very pleasant surprise indeed**_.

For Sachiel was elated to face a foe his equal. Whilst the enemy's various assaults were clumsy, the Seraph got the general impression his opponent knew what they were doing somehow.

The throw back of the head, the twisting of the body, the footwork, it was not the mark of a skittish individual, but a champion wrestler in some cases.  
 _ **  
A strong foe and a good fight, now if only we had some ale, Voor!**_

And then, orange lightning curled around Unit 01's reeled back right fist, as Sachiel realised his foe was channelling its own wall of light into a punch.

Frantically thrusting out his left arm, throwing a wave of crackling orange power at his foe, Sachiel took a step back, knowing full well what a direct strike from such a power would do to him.

The resulting collision of pure energy flattened the local block of buildings, with the two combatants being hurled like rag dolls away from each other.

For a few minutes, it was almost like a pyroclastic flow had hit the city, the debris and ash having been thrown up into the air, trickling back down like a sombre rain. However, even in that dark and terrible gloom, three glowing objects, three **moving** glowing objects, the eye of Unit 01, and the now red gaze of Sachiel, were a great deal more than vaguely visible.

So much so the staff of NERV shivered before the display.

The monsters could see one another, for their vision far transcended our own. In the ash of ruined homes, they could finally take a correct look at their respective foes, after having circled around each other for a while.

Unit 01 then tilted its head, and raised its left arm to meet its cracked eye, flexing its fingers quite awkwardly. Raising its gaze to meet that of its foe, it seemed like the Eva was asking for permission to do...something.

The Seraph did nothing but wait.

And thus, through means unknown to even the science of this advanced age, Unit 01 regenerated its damaged flesh and bone. With that matter dealt with, it stretched out its arms in a sprinting stance.

And yet it behaved as if it were waiting for something, as if it wished for the Seraph to attend to whatever injuries it had.

Sachiel acknowledged this, having quickly and quietly regenerated its own broken and battered body, by snapping his legs together and extending both his blades, raising the right one to his bony helm.

All noise upon NERV's command bridge stopped. All talking, all relaying of information, all typing on touch screens, everything. For the eldritch abomination, supposedly unknowable to all mankind, had performed a fencer's salute.

Even Gendo Ikari, who kept his usual stoic expression, had quickly gone through everything he knew about the creatures which sought mankind's end. And he found nothing about a code of honour.

"The scrolls didn't say anything about this..." Kozo murmured.

"Indeed."

The two demi-gods charged each other again, at full strength and full power, Unit 01 sliding beneath Sachiel's right blade, then dancing around the other. The Seraph quickly lurched back from the incoming punch, with the purple fist missing him by a few metres. The Eva landed with surprising elegance in a kneeling position, before attempting to roll out of yet another slice from its opponent.

But it was not to be.

The purple monster howled in pain as Sachiel's blade seared through the already cracked part of its face plate. Had it not continued to roll, the Seraph's second downward strike would have ended the matter then and there.

But roll it did, until being safely out of Sachiel's range for a few crucial seconds, long enough to stand again. The blades quickly sizzled through the air as with expert swordsmanship, the Seraph made swipe after calculated swipe at his enemy's head.

Unit 01, despite rising from what seemed like total defeat with the wrath of ancient gods, was still on the back foot. It could not exploit its brute strength, it could only stay at a distance with its great speed, and even that advantage couldn't last long.

Sachiel feinted towards the Eva's chest plate, causing it to sidestep. Right into the path of his lower strike.

Unit 01 staggered and roared for what seemed like an eternity, after a blade of pure yellow energy had cut clean through its knee.

Collapsing to the ground, it could only stare upwards, somewhat helplessly at the Seraph's red gaze, both blades raised simultaneously in preparation to decapitate mankind's last hope.  
 _ **  
You have fought well, Voor, the halls of the gods shall welcome you with open arms. Due to your valour, I shall grant you a warrior's death. It will be quick.**_

Sachiel's final attack happened in a heartbeat, too fast for the human eye to see.

However, it was not fast enough.

Two purple armoured hands, crackling with orange energy, reached up into the path of the blades, **and caught them**.

It may have been a trick of the imagination, but many of NERV's personnel could have sworn they'd seen _shock_ on their enemy's face.

Hurricane like winds spiralled around the two monstrosities, as their A-T fields clashed together, twisting and turning as they tried to get around or neutralise the other.

Arcs of lightning jutted out, some ripping into already ruined buildings, others screaming off into the heavens. The wind had now cleared away all debris, the view of the battle was unclouded for all to see.

And then the orange light flickered out.

"They've cancelled out each other's A-T field...this is going better than I hoped..." Ritsuko muttered in a pleasantly surprised tone, before lighting a cigarette.

The arms of the Seraph and the Eva trembled with exertion, signifying this contest of pure strength was almost over.  
 _ **  
This ends now!**_

Sachiel's head thrust forward, with nothing to bar its progress, in an attempt to knock the Japanese god machine off its balance. With both its arms occupied, Unit 01 had no way to stop it.

Instead, it bowed its head.

And thus the Seraph's head came down...right onto a purple horn.

The shriek of agony as the long thought useless appendage drove straight through bone and flesh, was one that would make even the most stout cover their ears as blood would flow from them with reckless abandon.

Desperately rearing back the Seraph lost all grip, but Unit 01 didn't. Strong hands grasped the Divine Heir's right arm, and with a knee firmly planted in its foe's chest, the Eva pulled.

And Sachiel's screams grew louder.

Collapsing on his back, royal blue blood gushing forth like a mighty river from the ruined stump that was once his arm, the Seraph attempted to rise again, in a shambling and completely disorientated manner.

One which would never have been fast enough, even if he succeeded.

His now detached right blade, still humming with energy, wielded by a furious titan, was driven straight through his heart and into the ground, pinning him in place. The red jewel in his chest shattered, as all bodily functions began to fail, a purple hand upon his chest keeping him in place.  
 _ **  
Most impressive, Voor...most impressive. I did not think I would receive such a challenge from your kind. Truly I am glad to meet it. But know this...**_

The two creatures of eldritch lore locked gazes with one another, a low whimper escaping from Unit 01's mouth for reasons no one yet understood.  
 _ **  
My brothers and sisters are as strong as me, some even stronger. And my father...you are but an insect to defy his rule...**_ The Seraph's gaze began to darken, as it took its last _breath_.  
 _ **  
Everyone...forgive me...for I am weak...**_

And thus, the Fourth Seraph died.

* * *

 _7:00pm,_

 _"...retrieval successful, vital signs positive._ " A soft voice spoke over the radio as Shinji regained consciousness. He felt dazed, possessing no memory of whatever had just happened. But he could guess.

With the dead monster pinned to the ground beneath Unit 01, he could only imagine that somehow he'd won. Somehow he'd survived freezing up and blacking out.

He was being lifted, possibly by crane, as he could see both his Eva and the Seraph locked in a deathly embrace. It was strange...the Seraph had been impaled by one of its own arms...and Unit 01 had somehow fixed that wrist breakage.

 _Did it...act by itself..._

There was a loud clank as a piece of the purple monster's head armour detached...showing something that made Shinji's blood run cold.

No circuitry, no robotics.

Just...flesh.

The area where it seemed had once been an eye, bubbled and boiled as a green orb grew out of it. A black iris eventually came into being, swivelling around for a few seconds.

 _"Heart rate increasing!"_

 _"Oh shit he can see it! Cut the visual now!"_ Misato barked. But it was far too late.

The iris finished swivelling, and fixed its gaze on Shinji. Not on the entry plug in which he sat, but directly at him. Straight into his soul.

Moments after deep blue met sickly green, Shinji's ear-splitting shriek of pure terror echoed for a few moments, before consciousness slipped away.


	6. 1:6 This has only just begun

_The realm of Vhaayn_

Once the whole world had been theirs. Now...the only place of residence the Divine race possessed was this hellscape.

It wasn't quite an oblivion though, for it did possess an ethereal beauty all of its own. But compared to home, Haniel mused, it might as well have been.

Oh how he longed for it. He longed for the sea, for the ancient trees, the great ash plains, and the gargantuan mountain ranges that soared some leagues into the blue sky.

Every single one of his people felt the same way, even the generations born in this... _place_.

But right now, it was another crime committed by the _Vooren,_ that truly incensed the Sovereign's right hand.

His enforcer.

His Fist.

What made the man's blood boil was the thought of an old friend being butchered by an inferior and weak race. A race fit only for subjugation.

The _Vooren_ , or _Humanity_ as they called themselves.

Though they were a warlike people, quite similar to his own in some respects, their strength was pitiful. They were weak beyond imagination. And a warrior race such as the Divine, had no respect for weakness.

The ground on which Haniel walked, clad in black armour and coat, unmade itself upon contact with his _wall of light_. Bits of stone hovered in the air for a few seconds, suspended by flickering orange energy, before falling back down. Along the grey cobbled road, flanked by five hundred dark blue cloaked Royal Guard, Haniel strode towards the council chamber, his red eyes narrowed in frustration. Strange winds caused his shoulder length white hair to fling strands into his stormy face.

Said face terrified every single guardsman on duty, for this individual had great sway with he whom they served.

The mighty Sovereign. The Lord of Ash.

And it was thoughts of the one who sat upon the shrouded in shadow throne, that truly depressed Haniel.

As if his Lord hadn't suffered enough pain of late. Now, the ruler of the Divine would learn that his eldest son was dead.

A noble death to be sure, dying in combat was a dignified way to depart this world. But still, to know that one's own son had perished in battle would be...a bitter pill to swallow.

As he reached the huge brass gates behind which stood the Royal council chamber, the sudden sound of double pointed lances clanging as they blocked his path, caught the Fist of the Sovereign's eyes and ears.

"Forgive me, sir. The council is in session and is not to be disturbed." The Guardsman raised his left hand in both salute and caution. Unseasoned red eyes could be seen behind that mask of bone, causing Haniel to chuckle quietly.

 _Ah to be young. To not remember the calamity or the morning slaughter must be a great thing indeed. Clearly however, you do not understand that, his Lordship makes a few exceptions for me..._

"I understand this guardsman, but this is a matter of urgency. I need to speak to, his Lordship immediately." Haniel pressed, knowing how wrathful his friend and master could be when news was kept from him.

The guardsman looked thoughtful for a moment before withdrawing his lance from Haniel's path.

"Wait here, sir." He bowed his head and briskly walked the few metres to the doors, before knocking on them. They swung open inwardly, and the guardsman hurried through, the doors closing behind him.

After a short time of standing around, whilst the other guardsman shifted uncomfortably in the Fist's presence, the younger elite Divine soldier returned with all due haste.

"Forgive me, sir. His Lordship has made it very clear that you are never to be stopped or delayed again. The doors have been left open for you." He and his comrade bowed in embarrassment, as Haniel dismissively waved his hand.

"Think nothing of it, guardsmen, just don't get in my way again." They parted, and the Fist of the Sovereign strode forth into the Royal council chamber.

To call the chamber impressive would be an understatement. Vast white columns with great banners draping down their sides, flanked the volcanic black walls of the room, held up a ceiling of dark blue with many bright dots on it.

The Old Realm's night sky.

The one hundred bronze thrones which made up the Minor Lord's seating positions were proudly aligned along a long stretch of red carpet with a white fur trimming, upon a floor of obsidian.

At the head of the carpet stood a horizontal line of silver thrones, seventeen in total. And behind them, upon a great flight of obsidian stairs, sat a throne of the same material.

Shrouded in shadow.

If this were a less depressing scenario, Haniel might have smiled with amusement at his old friend's addiction to theatrics.

But not today.

Every single seat in the chamber was occupied, save for the silver one on the far left.

This stood silently vacant. Never to be occupied again.

The ones seated on the silver thrones felt their blood run cold as the Fist approached, all having somewhat feared this man since youth. But what truly got to them, was his more than usual stormy expression.

A few feet before them, he went down on one knee and stared into the ground.

"Hail my Sovereign, Lord of Ash." He said in a guarded tone.

"Haniel, speak, old friend." The one on the black throne rumbled.

The Fist had to muster his courage for this, having stood witness to his master's rage on many occasions.

"My Lord...Heir Sachiel has fallen."

Many sharp intakes of breath along with a great deal of mutterings echoed throughout the chamber. Many of them were ones of disbelief, others of despair.

But the Heirs' reactions were ones of grief.

Some gaped, such as Ramiel and Leliel.

Others like Shamshel and Rogziel snarled with anger.

And the softer ones like Bardiel and Armisael simply broke down in tears.

However, Arael being Arael didn't bat an eye, for the wretch didn't much care for anything except his own enjoyment.

"It's not true...tell me it's not true." The youngest, Heir Tabris, forced through choked sobbing. It pained Haniel to see the boy cry, for the young Heir had never properly experienced loss before.

And considering his soft nature, he was not deserving of such pain.

"I'm afraid it is, my Heir." Haniel remained in a kneeling position.

The sudden scraping of armour against a black throne caused the entire chamber, save for the noises of grief, to fall silent.

Heavy footsteps echoed as the Lord of Ash descended his throne's stairs, the greater amount of light at the bottom of them showing his features to all the world.

The Sovereign's long grey hair, along with charred black cape, fluttered from the sheer amount of energy he produced simply by existing, as his white armour and chain mail clanked with every footstep.

He stopped in front of his children's thrones, his somewhat thirty-ish looking, sharp, pale face and red eyes having narrowed into a look of slight dissatisfaction.

"How?" He put forward in a highly controlled tone. However, the Fist knew full well the screaming rage his Sovereign was holding back could well atomise everything within a league.

"It would seem the, _Vooren_ have built a contraption to fight us with, my Lord. It possesses great strength and speed, along with an immensely powerful wall of light. Stronger than all present in this room save for your children and yourself." Haniel gulped as the Sovereign gripped his sword hilt with every ounce of his strength.

Lesser weapons would have been crushed by such power.

But not _Kaingrik_.

"This is a...surprising turn of events. But it matters not. This is a setback...and nothing more." The master of the Divine exhaled deeply through his nose before setting his gaze upon his subordinates.

"My son is dead. His blood has been spilled by unworthy hands. I assure you, however this is a result of nothing but luck. So what if the enemy has merely bought itself another week of existence? We will shatter their civilisation, force them on their knees, and make them beg for forgiveness. Forgiveness for usurping that which is **rightfully ours**." He swirled around, turning his gaze upon the next in line from the empty throne.

"Shamshel, you will depart for the Old Realm within the week. Just this once...show no mercy." Were he not one who could control his expressions, the Sovereign would have grimaced at Shamshel's sadistic smile.

"As you wish father. I will send my brother's killer to hell **screaming**!" The now eldest in line to the throne snarled, whilst the one who sat next to him, his sister Ramiel, quietly shook her head and sighed without drawing attention to herself.

 _Honestly brother, your boasting will be the end of you one day._

The Minor Lords roared their approval to Shamshel's declaration, before the Sovereign raised his hand and hush descended upon the meeting once again.

"That'll be enough for today. All of you, leave. I have business to discuss with my Fist."

There was a cacophony of armour scraping against metal, as all present save for Haniel stood.

"Hail Sovereign Netzach! Lord of Ash, Lord of the Divine!" After the salute and customary bowing of heads, all present left the room. Now the Sovereign and his Fist had peace and quiet for their coming conversation.

"Rise."

Haniel did as he was commanded. Standing up to full height, he was still much shorter than his master.

At seven feet tall, Haniel would have towered over any human. And yet compared to his master, who was a further two feet taller than him, he seemed tiny.

The Divine in question stared at the throne upon which his son would never sit again with a hint of grief in his eyes.

"I should have dealt with this myself."

"No, my Lord. We still do not have much of an idea of what awaits us there, and we cannot afford to lose you..." Haniel said this without a hint of glorification or flattery.

He truly meant it.

And he was right.

"Tell that to those who remember the time before the Calamity. They still call me _the Dark Lord_ behind my back."

"They are fools and they will learn. Because of you, my Lord, and only you, does our race survive."

"I could only save a million out of two billion. And after the work of the Vooren, there is but one hundred thousand of us left..." Netzach's gaze never left the empty throne.

Now his fist clenched.

"I couldn't even save her..."

"Yechel's death was not of your doing, my Lord. She made her choice, and you know it." Haniel said softly. The Royal advisor's wisdom was desperately needed by all. And, as fate was cruel, they wouldn't be getting it.

Netzach slowly exhaled as he straightened his posture.

"You are right my friend, as usual. The dead live in the past, I must focus on securing the future." He turned to face his Fist, purposefully swirling his cape through the air as even in a sombre state of mind, the Sovereign was always theatrical.

As was fitting of a people and culture who valued power and showing it off almost above all else.

"In your ventures to the Earth over the past seventeen years, you have established many contacts correct?"

"Yes, my Lord. Yet even with all those I could discover nothing of the monstrosity the, _Vooren_ have built until today."

"But now our true foe has revealed themselves. Use those under your sway to find out what you can. A name would do for a start..." The Sovereign raised his eyebrow as Haniel coughed so as to interrupt.

"I am quite confident the organization in question is called _NERV_. They are highly secretive, and a great deal of money has gone into them over these past ten years. It seems I should have been more thorough in my investigations of them-" A gauntleted hand finding its way onto the Fist's shoulder ended that sentence before it finished.

"Haniel, I mistrusted your judgement once before and it cost me dearly. As such I have resolved never to make such a mistake again. But you must remember old friend, that even you are not above mistakes. Promise me that." Netzach smiled a warm smile, one he did not show often at all.

"As you wish, my Lord."

"Excellent." The Sovereign retracted his arm, before hardening his expression. The Fist returned to a kneeling position, knowing that his master was about to give him an order.

"Your Sovereign commands you. Use what resources you have to find out everything you possibly can about the whelps who dare stand against my will. The worthless scum who impede the reclamation of our home..." Netzach's gaze was redirected at the floor, his red eyes flaring.

"Tell me of the wretches who claimed my son's life..." The one true master of the Divine race's gaze hardened as cracks glowing with flickering orange energy began to appear in the floor he was staring at.

"Tell me of this... **NERV**."


	7. 2:1 Unfamiliar ceiling

_"Like the ancient mountains, this city shall stand the test of time."  
_  
 _ **The Emperor of Japan, state naming of Tokyo-3, 2nd of May 2007.**_

* * *

 _10:00am, Friday the 9th of June, 2017 AD, State of Japan, NERV central, medical ward_

Shinji's fingers gently closed around the surprisingly comfortable sheets, his eyes flickering open. He lay on his side, the room within which he'd evidently spent the night being bathed in a harsh artificial light.

 _Spirits, my head feels muddled_. He sat up, yawning.

The boy had slept surprisingly well, even if the bad dreams had come as they usually did. But shock and exhaustion had been an ally, keeping him in an unconscious state for hours on end with only the occasional whimpering.

He exhaled through his nose and massaged his still tired eyes for a few moments.

Damned things, couldn't they at least be grateful for more than ten hours of undisturbed sleep? He was lucky to get four without another nightmare causing him to wake up a sweating mess.

Gently, Shinji drew back the sheets and set his feet on the floor. He didn't want to stand yet, as his legs still felt like jelly. He just wanted to feel the coldness of the tiled floor invigorate his feet.

For he liked the cold.

Even though the happiest memory of his life had occurred on an exceedingly hot day, Shinji despised the heat. For it made the possibility of being _snug_ impossible. But fortunately, although he lived in an age of increased global temperatures, it was also an age of air conditioning.

Hence why he wasn't really one for venturing outdoors.

And then the previous night's memories came to him.

A huge green monster being felled by his hand with a mournful expression on its face, the breaking of bones, the tearing and sizzling of flesh, the shedding of royal blue blood, and a terrible green eye staring into his soul.

His hand found its way to his forehead, as if he were trying to physically repress the sheer terror of it all. His other hand tightly balled.

He spent a few minutes doing this, along with taking deep shaky breaths.

Slowly and gently he stood up, sighing. He was alive, not to mention victorious. He should be jubilant over that at least.

Stretching out his limbs so that everything might click into place, Shinji took in his surroundings.

It was a standard hospital room, very clean and rather white, but it had a window overlooking great green fields and blue lakes.

Walking over to truly take it all in, he found his brain stumped by the fact this place had no sky, but metal walls. In fact, it seemed as if this facility was in a giant dome.

But it was what hung from above him that truly astonished Shinji.

It was the city of Tokyo-3.

Dozens of skyscrapers, apartment blocks, and bunkers hung from the ceiling, along with what looked like a few suspended trains running back and forth. This was the highly advanced protection system the Japanese capital city had from stratospheric bombardment, and as it turned out, _Seraph attacks_.

It was lowered beneath the ground to be protected by layer upon layer of titanium armour plating.

And even then, a Seraph had been cutting through them as if they were nothing.

 _"Are you sure you should be out of bed, meat bag? After what you went through yesterday I'm surprised you're even conscious, let alone walking about."_ Caspar spoke unusually gently, but it was still enough to make Shinji jump out of his skin.

"Who, Wha...oh...it's you..." The boy's brain conjured up multiple memories of the A.I with a sense of humour. Perhaps even its name.

"It's Caspar-san isn't it?"

 _"The one and only, my little meat bag."_

Shinji looked around for wherever the A.I was speaking from, only to find nothing except a security camera.

"You...weren't watching me sleep were you?"

 _"Come now, Shinji-chan, I am the overlord! I know all, see all, hear all!"_ Caspar cackled. He raised his eyebrow for a few moments, before the A.I muttered _"You're no fun."_

The boy shook his head with a small smile, and looked back out the window.

 _"Shall I inform Section Five that you're awake?"_

Shinji thought for a moment, before nodding his head. And then a memory of a girl with porcelain white skin and sky blue hair flashed into his mind.

"Where's that girl from earlier? The one I got in the Eva for..."

 _"Rei-chan? Oh she's fine, still in a bit of pain, but fine. You saved her life yesterday, meat bag. That's not something I usually expect from organics, selfish nasty creatures that you are."_ Caspar didn't usually feel curiosity, as an A.I, NERV central's one in particular, it knew practically everything there was to be known.

But for this boy, who if its records were correct was an isolated loner, to show such care for other human beings, drew its attention easily.

Shinji remained silent, but inwardly sighed with relief. As much as he feared forming bonds with his fellow man, he did feel something that resembled care for the strange girl who'd been both literally and metaphorically _thrown_ into his life.

 _"Medical staff is notified, and Sub Commander Tenka is on his way to give you a check up. I would stay and continue our delightful conversation, but as this facility's A.I, I have very important things to attend to-_ _ **that damned S2 reactor!"**_ And then without much warning, Caspar went completely silent.

The boy stood still with a confused expression for a while, before shaking his head.

 _I just had a conversation with an A.I again, and I'm not surprised it disappeared like that...Spirits, I must be going mad._

The sound of the door sliding open caught his attention, as a short man possessing bulging muscles strode through it.

His hair was a greying black colour in a military style haircut. A scar cut straight across his face, but that huge bristly moustache drew attention away from it with ease. He wore a similar uniform to the one he'd seen "Ritsuko" wear, except it was far better kept and had no cigarettes poking out of its pockets.

Brown eyes glanced over Shinji for a few seconds, as Sub Commander Tenka analysed him. Seeing no physical issues, he blinked and the boy felt a little more at ease.

"How are you feeling?" The grizzled former soldier clasped his hands behind his back.

"I-I'm okay, thanks. What...what happened?" The boy gently scratched his brown hair, whilst trying to organize his muddled memories.

"In short? You killed the thing that took twenty thousand lives, and then saved the nation. Possibly even the entire planet. You were...already unconscious from shock when we retrieved you from the entry plug. You've been brought to my medical ward for recuperation, although by the looks of it you've already got most of that out the way." He chuckled slightly at the young man who barely a few hours ago, was whimpering in his sleep.

But Shiro Tenka could understand.

The dreams one gets from the traumas they behold never go away. As someone who'd served at the battle of Osaka, Shiro was a man who could look a person in the eye and see whether or not they knew pain.

And it saddened him that this boy, certainly did.

Shinji's eyebrows knitted together.  
 _  
I did all of that?_

"I'm afraid I can't answer most of the innumerable questions you certainly have as...well...I don't know anything about the Evas. I'm just NERV's chief medical officer." The muscled old soldier, walked over to well within Shinji's personal space and stretched out a hand.

"Doctor Shiro Tenka, Sub Commander of Section Five, at your service."

Shinji stared at the hand for a moment, before remembering all the manners his teacher had both metaphorically and literally beaten into him.

He uncomfortably shook it before turning away. Shiro observed his patient's body language and backed off a little, before looking out of the window, arms clasped behind his back.

"Took my breath away when I first saw it too lad. I don't know how they do it, but I know it's called the _geofront_. Our great big unbreakable fortress..." He snorted.

"What a load of rubbish. If you hadn't done what you did, that **thing** would have come down here and killed us all."

 _How much taxpayer's money did they waste on this place? Credit black hole doesn't quite do it justice..._

"Um...Tenka-sensei?" Shinji's quiet voice interrupted Shiro's moment of reflection.

"Yes Ikari-san?"

"I heard that...a girl called Rei is in this place. I'd quite like to know...from a professional view...how she is."

Although Caspar had filled him in on the subject, he still found himself curious about "Rei's" well being. Not to mention, a Doctor could probably tell him more than, for all intents and purposes, a machine.

"You mean Ayanami-san? Her condition is stable at the moment. She's resting in a room down the other end of the corridor-"

"Can I see her?" Shinji suddenly felt like he'd made a mistake when Shiro's expression darkened.

He looked deep in thought for a few moments, before sighing as if he was thinking of something deeply unsettling.

"Come to my office." He placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder and started guiding him out of the room.

"There are things you should know..."

* * *

 _10:20am, communications room_

The image of the dying Seraph flickered out of existence, leaving only Gendo and the thirteen black holographic monoliths.

Upon them were inscribed words in bright neon red.

 _SEELE_.

Each monolith was numbered from 01 to 13, with the one bearing the number "01" standing directly in front of NERV's Supreme Commander. But unlike the other monoliths which represented the heads of the order they all belonged to, 01's monolith bore a title.

 _Großmeister_

 _"Despite a few deviations, all is unfolding as the scrolls have predicted. But...this development must be taken into account."_ 01 rumbled as the display flickered back into life, freezing at the moment Sachiel raised its blade in salute.

"The scrolls do say the Seraphim are intelligent, Grand Master, but we did not predict they may even have a sense of honour." Gendo's hands remained clasped together beneath his nose, whilst he felt the gaze of some of the planet's most influential men.

 _"It should be impossible though. They may be the children of Adam, but the Seraphim are little more than beasts! We should consult the scrolls again."_ 08's shrill Federal voice added.

 _"The scrolls have already been seen many times today, by my own eyes in fact. And they speak of nothing such as this."_ 01 closed the matter, before returning the minds of all present to the subject at hand.

 _"However, the scrolls truth has been shown by yesterday's victory. The Evangelions are indeed the key to mankind's salvation and ascension. And now that the deliverer has arrived, the ordained path can truly begin to unfold!"_

There was a chorus of agreement and approval from all those present, save for two.

Gendo Ikari, and 07.

 _"As much as we are all delighted by this revelation, Grand Master, we still have a problem. Even though we control the United Nations, the Super States are rather possessive of their Evas. If we do not seize back control of them-"_ 07 didn't have time to finish his sentence before 01 interrupted.

 _"Have no fear, 07. The Empire, the Federation, The League, the UCWS, and the PRA, will have no choice but to do as they are told by the Commander here. With the annihilation of the JSA, they will all know the Evas are the key to defeating the Seraphim, not their own armies. They have no choice but to put their faith in NERV. As I have said before, all is unfolding as the scrolls have predicted."_

 _"With all due respect, Grand Master, whilst the JSA's removal from the situation is indeed desirable...surely a less destructive manner could have worked just as we-"_

"No." Gendo shot down 07's protest.

"The Japanese State Army is a proud institution. Only total defeat and humiliation would get them off our backs. And recent events have proven me correct."

There was yet another chorus of agreement, except from 07 who silently fumed, and 01 who only spoke when he had something to say.

 _"You worry far too much about the means, 07. When the promised land, Instrumentality is reached, when we return to the Holy Blood, it will not matter how many lives had to be sacrificed for it. For the greater cause!"_ 02, the Order's enforcer, dramatically boomed.

 _"Silence."_ 01 made all noise in the room cease with a simple command. The only other person present capable of doing that was Gendo himself.

 _"What measures have been taken to control the manner in which the general public receives information on NERV and the Seraphim?"_

 _"As you know, Grand Master, we almost completely control the press. They will print what we want, not to mention thanks to Ikari's Section 2, there is no chance of leaks coming from within NERV itself."_ 13 added in a thick Russian accent.

 _"But why all this secrecy? Surely the world would give us everything required and more if they knew of the paradise we wish to create for them?"_ 05 said irritably.

Despite the fact he wielded a great deal of power in the Imperial military, 05 was a little too zealous for his own good, and considering he worked closely with the terrifyingly shrewd and perceptive High Field Marshal Alexander Meadow, it gave cause for concern that SEELE may be revealed before the scenario could be completed.

 _"We have been through this many times, 05. The people are not yet ready to be enlightened. But upon the plan's completion, and humanity's rebirth, they will finally understand for what they have suffered. And for that, they shall sing in gratitude of us for all eternity. Now, I have business with the Commander, leave us."_ 01 said dismissively

 _"Yes, Grand Master. The fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth!"_ All the monoliths responded before flickering out of existence, leaving only the Commander and the Grand Master.

A deathly quiet fell upon the comms room, one that would have made lesser men shiver.

But not Gendo and 01.

 _"What do you make of the deliverer?"_

"He is very much as the scrolls have predicted. He struggles to understand those around him, and has no love for himself. The life he has lived, has almost broken him." Gendo's spine tingled in slight satisfaction at the memory of the utter betrayal and despair in the boy in question's cerulean.

 _"Then it will be all too easy for him to bond with the lamb when the time is right. You have done your job well, Ikari, you are to be commended for that."_

"Thank you, Grand Master. What of, GAAFT? Do they suspect anything?"

 _"No, those fools of the, Global Allied Armed Forces Treaty, are currently ignorant. And they shall remain that way."_

"I have no doubt they will, for you are wise, Grand Master Laberenz, far wiser than me." Gendo bowed his head ever so slightly in partial mock reverence. For whilst he was trying to flatter his superior, there was truth to Gendo's words.

For it could be said that the one person Gendo Ikari truly feared was SEELE 01.

Known to the world at large as Kasch Laberenz, Congressman and puppet master of the United Nations.

 _"Indeed. Now go. Attend to your organization, prepare for the next Seraph, and keep bringing humanity's final liberation and salvation ever closer."_

"Of course, Grand Master. The fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth." Gendo waited for the monolith to fade.

But Kasch had one last thing to say.

 _"The path is ordained, Commander. We cannot stray from it."_ And with that, 01 vanished.

Leaving only the elder Ikari musing quietly to himself.

"Indeed. Mankind's time is over. But my own has almost begun..."

* * *

 _10:30am, medical ward_

It seemed as if storm clouds brewed over the young man's head as he stomped down the corridor.

To say that Shinji felt sick to his core would be an understatement. It felt like it was writhing and contorting like some sort of snake which had been set on fire.

Whilst he fought with the gorge that threatened to rise every few seconds or so, Doctor Tenka's words crashed through his head over and over again.

" _Rei Ayanami wasn't born, she was grown...from whatever they could salvage of Yui Ikari..."_

That simple sentence had very nearly overcome him.

His mother...the one thing he so desperately tried not to dwell on, now had a walking, talking, remnant to rub in the fact he'd lost her forever. The one person he knew who truly loved him.

He'd seen a few pictures of what his mother looked like when she was young, and if you took away the fact Rei possessed blue hair, red eyes, and porcelain white skin, she was the spitting image.

 _He cloned my mother? How is that even possible!?_

Did Gendo Ikari have no shame? He threw him out for a reason he never explained, and created... **her**...to do what?

Replace him?

No...his father had never loved him, so why on earth would he want a daughter?

Unless...she was a replacement for his mother...

Whilst his stomach continued to turn inside out over the depravity of his father, a part of his brain was actually rather excited. For if she possessed Yui Ikari's DNA, then could that make Rei something akin to a sibling?

Perhaps even...family?

A term Shinji had not truly understood for twelve painful years.

He couldn't be angry with Rei, not at all. She couldn't have chosen how she was created, or even made the choice of being created in the first place. To hold a grudge against her for what his father had done would be ludicrous. For according to that logic he should hate himself...more than usual.

Shinji stopped in front of a door with the title _Room 303_ stamped on it.

This was where she was recuperating from whatever had nearly killed her the other day, and he was incredibly apprehensive, even occasionally shuddering.

His hand touched a panel by the side of the door, whilst his unoccupied hand clenched and unclenched.

He had clearance, with Tenka ringing ahead so those terrifying men in black suits wouldn't bar his way.

So why was he still afraid?

Slowly, inevitably, the door slid open, humming electrically as it did so. Mustering his meagre courage, Shinji took a deep breath and crept in.

She lay on the bed so quietly, the harsh ceiling light illuminating her skin. Her very much awake gaze was directed upwards, not even turning to take notice of incoming company.

"Um...hi." Shinji mumbled in a pathetic attempt to being friendly.

Rei remained totally silent.

"You might not...remember me...but I-" He was halfway through saying, before the turning of Rei's head in his direction caused him to jump out of his skin.

"Shinji Ikari. Designated Pilot of Unit 01." Her voice was as quiet as his own when stressed or scared, but had a great deal more control to it.

It was essentially, a younger and much quieter version of his Mother's voice.

And it took every ounce of his lacking strength to not break down in tears. For her voice to him in particular, had a melancholic beauty.

"Yes...yes that's me." He shuffled a little closer to her, his hand continuing to clench and unclench.

"Are you okay?"

"I currently possess multiple breakages and fractures. I will return to combat effectiveness in twenty days." Rei's facial expression was unnervingly still and unemotional, all too much like his father's.

Shinji didn't like that.

At all.

"I mean...how do you feel in yourself?"

"How I feel is irrelevant. I will do as I am ordered, that is all I know."

The boy who was the offspring of the woman she was cloned from, recoiled. What Shinji felt could be described as a coiling pyre of horror and...fury.

 _Gendo Ikari...what the hell have you done?_

"No...that's not true. Your feelings matter, Ayanami-san, no matter what **he** says."

"My purpose is to pilot the Evas. That is my single reason for existing. My feelings are irrelevant."

"There has to be more than that! You're a person...you're unique. You're aren't just some tool to be used-" For once he found himself truly engaged in a conversation, and he was desperate to change the other party's mind.

Rei's interruption however, demonstrated his failure.

"If I die, I can be replaced. There is nothing more to be said on the subject."

It was quiet for a while, as Shinji felt his heart break in two. How could **this** be the clone of the rather cheerful, loving, and talkative woman who gave him life?

As if his father hadn't defiled his mother's memory enough...

 _I should go, there's not much else I can do._

He began to turn away, before a thought came to mind.

Rei probably didn't know that he was aware of her...origin. Perhaps through such a revelation, he might induce a reaction of some sort. Just something that would tell him his heart wouldn't break every time he looked at her.

"I...I know. About you being a clone of my mother...I...I suppose..." Even though he'd set himself on saying it, Shinji couldn't help but stammer.

This further became a problem when Rei actually turned her head to face him.

He cleared his throat before continuing.

"I suppose that makes you my sister."

For the briefest second, Shinji could have sworn he saw a minute look of surprise on Rei's oh so familiar face, but then it was gone. Replaced with the same, dull, lifeless, expression.

"I'll let you rest." He quickly turned away, and walked out of the room as briskly as possible, leaving Rei alone with her few thoughts. But a new one, one which had entered her head that very second, was being repeated over and over again.

One simple word, that carried about as much meaning as a word could to someone of Rei's thought process.  
 _  
...Sister..._

He closed the door behind him, a little stream of water trickling down his cheek. Resting his back against the wall, his legs gave way as he slumped to the ground, quietly crying.

When his mother had died, his father had smashed and thrown away all images of her. Whilst he did have a few memories of the one person who loved him, they were quite foggy. Truly it could be said then, that Rei was the closest thing he had to his mother. And his father might have destroyed that as well.

 _No. I won't allow it._

He found his fist balling again, not in fear, or apprehension. It was...something else.

It was similar to what he'd felt upon deciding to pilot Unit 01 the previous night, but now there was no fear. Only determination.

 _Ayanami-san...I won't give up on you. I might have only met you yesterday, but I'll do everything in my power to take care of you...and help you._

The fist clenched ever tighter.

 _And there will be nothing you can do about it,_ _ **father**_ _._


	8. 2:2 Hustle and bustle

_1:00pm, Tokyo-3, Kobashi's den_

Coffee.

This miraculous liquid was currently all that prevented Misato descending into the realm of sleep. The dark rings hanging under her eyes were like a weight dragging her head down.

Picking the cup up, she took a sip from the piping hot liquid. Looking to her right, she could see her somehow completely awake friend type away on an Ipad, with a determined look upon their thirty-one year old face.

To say Ritsuko had been excited earlier that day, would be an understatement. She'd dashed into the protective dome covering the Seraph's remains, only to find the damn thing's body had set as hard as rock. Things eventually got so desperate, she'd resorted to trying to smash the chest open with a sledge hammer. And this was only after she'd tried the power drill...

"Perhaps a timed explosion..." The faux blonde took a break from typing, sipping her own coffee.

"You really want some samples from it don't you?" Misato raised an eyebrow.

"Well of course. Wouldn't it just be fascinating to see how they work, or how their DNA structure is set up?" Were these younger days, Misato would have expected Ritsuko to start bouncing up and down at any second.

Sadly, this didn't happen.

Fourteen years of being abused by Gendo Ikari would break even the strongest of people...and Ritsuko bless her, was never that strong to begin with.

"Do we really need to know the details? I mean, all we need to know is how to kill them." Misato shook her head.

Ritsuko turned off her Ipad and leaned back, sighing a little.

"And that is why you aren't a scientist. But even you should see the importance of _knowing thy enemy_."

"They're meant to be _beyond us in every single way_. Why bother trying to understand something that can't be understood?"

"So we shouldn't have even tried to understand the Chinese?"

Misato explosively harrumphed.

"Oh for Spirits' sake, Rits-chan, you know what I mean. Why are you taking **their** side anyway?" She growled, as her friend's expression softened.

"I know it's quite tetchy for you, and I understand, Misato-chan. I really do. I'm just saying there are so many things we don't know about the Seraphim. For example, they might actually be an entire sentient civilisation instead of random eldritch abominations."

They stared at each other for a few moments, before Misato started roaring with laughter.

"Hey, I did say _for example_." Ritsuko harrumphed, but couldn't repress her smile.

* * *

Half an hour later, the two were being driven through the city of Tokyo-3 in one of NERV's giant Mitsubishi lorries, the likes of which would haul cargo from one end of the country to another. Within the now populated streets, soldiers of the Tokyo-3 garrison tramped along, making sure the roads remained clear for NERV's personnel to do whatever they did. Which for all intents and purposes was a total mystery to the men and women of the JSA.

Above them all, dozens of _Kaze_ squadrons darted about, the normally deafening roar of their engines being drowned out by the strange humming noise FCVs produced. And above the city today, resided three of the two hundred metre long monsters. This was not just a show of power, it was a message.

 **Life goes on as usual, everything is under control.**

 _Like hell it is_

To say Misato felt relaxed would be an understatement. For within this ordinary vehicle, existed a paradise.

An air conditioned paradise.

"This...is Man's triumph over nature." She stretched out her now bare arms and exhaled. In this age of constant and unyielding heat for the Japanese people, they would enjoy the cold whenever and wherever they could.

Ritsuko however, had never really been bothered by either. In both hot and cold conditions, she would wear her dark grey uniform and white lab coat.

With a box of cigarettes usually poking out of one of her pockets...

But today, the faux blonde didn't feel like filling the compartment with disgusting smoke, so ultimately their ride didn't end with Misato gasping for air due to holding her breath.

There was a sound of ringing, promptly followed by Ritsuko fumbling about with her pocket before producing a touch screen phone. Whilst she placed it to her ear, Misato kept looking out of the window, taking in Tokyo-3's skyline.

 _Just like home..._

Tokyo.

Not Tokyo-2 or 3.

Old Tokyo.

The place in which she was born and raised.

Despite it being so crowded, Misato didn't have an overly unpleasant childhood, having a fair few friends, and at least one loving parent. But then Second Impact happened. And all that she held dear was washed away by both water and nuclear hell fire.

"...Misato-chan?" Ritsuko's finger prodded the woman in question's shoulder.

"Hmm, what?"

"That was Tenka-sensei on the phone, he says Ikari-san is ready for collecting whenever."

Misato sighed quietly as she fell back into her seat with a pained expression of guilt.

"How's he doing?"

"Physically fine, but he took a few knocks in that fight, and the shock of...what...he saw last night has left his memories a little muddled." Ritsuko maintained a straight expression, but inside even she felt a little ill over what had transpired the previous evening.

 _Poor kid. Came here to talk to his father, then we threw him into battle...Spirits, necessity can be evil sometimes._

"Soon as we finish up here, I'm going to get him." Misato said, more to herself than anything.

Ritsuko understood. No sane person didn't worry for the people they cared for. Not to mention the faux blonde herself felt something that might resemble _worried sick_ over a certain teenage girl with blue hair...

* * *

Their journey had ended by one of the massive cranes which was currently transporting NERV's newest equipment to wherever it needed to go. The reason the two were here, was because they'd needed to sign for their newest Seraph killing machine as it was delivered by the disgruntled JSA.

The Pallet Rifle.

In short, an eighty foot long assault rifle that fired high explosive rounds coated in the same sort of energy that ship mounted positron cannons used. They were designed for use on, and by, FCVs.

Thirty rounds of ammunition, all to be expended in a six second long squeeze of the trigger.

Truly a magnificent yet terrible example of Mankind's aptitude for war.

The other reason the two were there, well at least as far as Misato was concerned, was her car was parked here.

Having removed herself from the lorry, Misato had gotten back into her rather skin hugging black dress, with red jacket slung over her arm. Despite getting a few looks of absolute disgust from JSA soldiers, especially the female ones, and some murmurs of "call that slut a soldier?," she paid them no mind.

For in many ways, Misato was every bit as much of a soldier as they were.

Were she not devoted to NERV and it's cause of destroying the Seraphim, the Lieutenant Colonel would have happily donned JSA dark blue. Even if she did dress somewhat...revealingly...Misato was a soldier at heart, and possessed great respect for the men and women of the Japanese State Army, who truly had no hope of standing up to a Seraph, but by the Spirits they'd fought.

And would continue to fight against the twelve yet to come.

Well, at least according to the Commander.

Having signed for the rapid fire WMD, and giving a respectful nod to its JSA overseers, Misato now found herself placing a hand upon the blue door of her now repaired car, which had been dropped off at that point a few minutes prior.

"Mind if I hitch a ride?"

She very nearly jumped out of her skin, but upon seeing Ritsuko briskly walking over to her, Misato resumed a more comfortable stance.

"Sure. What for?"

She would never refuse a friend's request, but would question it. Just showing that underneath all the tight dresses and _party girl_ attitude, lurked a shrewd and intelligent woman. A woman that only two other human beings had ever seen.

"I...need to check up on Ayanami-san. Tenka-sensei is a highly competent individual, but she is...unique. Therefore she falls into my field of expertise." Ritsuko said in an almost expressionless tone.

But Misato knew all too well what the faux blonde sounded like when she was concerned.

"Hop in, I'll just ring on ahead to let them know you're coming too." She smiled, gesturing at the passenger side seat, to which Ritsuko obliged.

Misato started dialling the Medical Ward's number on her phone, whilst mulling over Sub Commander Akagi's rather strange relationship with the blue haired clone.

As much as Ritsuko refused to admit it, and even showed plain disgust at times, Misato was quite confident that her friend did care for that _dead woman's replicated bag of flesh_. To her own shame, Rei unsettled the NERV Combat operations director, with for one being a **clone** and how utterly ethereal she was...in every single way.

But on the other hand, Misato hadn't raised Rei from _its,_ as she would say, birth in a murky tank of LCL.

* * *

 _2:00pm, NERV central, medical ward, waiting room_

He could still feel it.

The pain of his arm being snapped in two. His eye being gouged out by white hot energy. Cut marks across his body. And now...something that felt like fire constantly stabbed into his shoulder.

He understood that pain now.

Shinji was mistaken in believing seeing footage of his _fight_ would give him peace of mind on the matter. Instead, he only felt sheer dread over the prospect of him possibly having to pilot Unit 01 again.

That **thing** was not a war machine. It was a monster.

None of his questions could be answered, for all staff in the vicinity were just as clueless as him. And as for Caspar...the word _"classified"_ cropped up a great deal.

And thus, he was left sitting by himself waiting to be taken away from this place.

As much as he wished to honour his promise to her, he still felt a little...uneasy around Rei, and would like to not be in the same building as her for a while, so as to get his feelings on the matter in order.

How long had she been alive without him knowing?

She seemed some sixteen years old, roughly his age, but Shinji knew his _Sister_ was probably closer to twelve or thirteen, as with cloning being what it was, a clone could be grown and animated at whatever age the creator deemed fit.

 _How much money must NERV have if it can make clones? More to the point, how much is the UN in their pocket to let them do this?_

He ran a tired hand through his hair, as despite doing hardly anything, the day had been exhausting in a way. Clearly the emotional shock was a little much for his **weak** mind.

"You alright there?" Tenka's gruff voice hauled Shinji out from his own little world by the scruff of his proverbial neck.

"Um-yes...I'm fine. Just waiting..."

"For Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi?"

"Yes that's right." Shinji nodded, almost to himself. His eyebrows furrowed as Tenka started to chuckle.

"What?" The young man tilted his head.

"Oh...oh...it's something of a joke among our staff. Katsuragi-san is a formidable soldier, but she has absolutely no concept of what _direction_ is. She's worked at this place for years now, and still gets lost." The older man shook his head, as a slightly louder laugh escaped his lips.

"Don't worry, I've sent Caspar-san off to give her directions. She'll be along soon."

Before Shinji could mutter a "thanks" however, Tenka was called away by one of the nurses.

He spent a little longer sitting there, even twiddling his thumbs after a while, when fiddling with his newly returned bag had stopped amusing him. However, eventually some slow, timid, footsteps started echoing across the waiting room, as a shadow loomed over him.

She was late, but he wasn't angry. You can't get angry when someone didn't mean to cause problems.

"Are you okay?" Misato held her red jacket sheepishly.

Shinji eventually met her gaze, and smiled a sad smile.

"I'm really not sure, Katsuragi-san."

* * *

 _2:30pm, Commander's office_

"He's going to have us shot." Eiji stated as a matter of fact, whilst he fought to keep his balance.

 _Spirits, this "cybernetic limb" is a right fucker to work..._

"Don't be a pessimist, Eiji. There's far too many of them in this world as it is." Kiyoshi rolled his eyes ever so slightly, while Seiichi looked genuinely annoyed.

To be frank all three men were highly concerned about the situation they were in.

They hadn't been allowed to leave the complex, and now they'd been summoned here. Not to mention heated debates between the General and Ikari had been rumoured to be heard earlier that day.

But still, they stood smartly to attention, helmets held under arms, well kept uniforms making them stand out from the futuristic, yet drab, cream cloth that the staff of NERV wore.

The office was a foreboding place, dark, quiet, empty, and extremely utilitarian. Not to mention the bizarre tapestry of some sort of tree stretching from the door to the desk on the floor, unsettled the veterans. The only thing more spine chilling than this place, was the person to whom it belonged.

All of a sudden, an older man walked forth from the blackness, nearly causing the three men to jump. But when the features of Vice Commander Fuyutsuki in his grey uniform came into view, they relaxed.

For it was known the Commander's _lackey_ was a good deal less...awful...than his master.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Commander Ikari is indisposed at the present moment, so I'll be informing you of your new deployment " Kozo stood in front of them with a warm expression.

 _New deployment?_ The crew of the Akuma looked at each other with both confusion and dread.

"Due to reasons of security, I'm afraid we cannot permit you to leave the city. But with General Motichka's... _persuasion_ -" The old man smiled when he heard the younger men chuckle. For the General's temper was known to be legendarily short, and was something of a joke among her soldiers.

"-Commander Ikari has deemed it unnecessary to conscript you into NERV or have you shot. So effectively immediately, you are now reassigned to the Tokyo-3 garrison."

The three men stared back at him with stunned expressions. To say the idea they would be put into one of the most prestigious parts of the JSA, would have been deemed ludicrous some months before.

But now...not much seemed ludicrous to the lone survivors of the 1st armoured division.

"I am sorry you cannot rejoin the Eastern Army, but rules are rules unfortunately." Kozo quietly sighed, being all too aware of the attachments soldiers form to one another.

The three men snapped to attention and bowed their heads.

"My thanks to General Motichka for not letting him shoot us." Kiyoshi half smiled, half grimaced.

The old man nodded before gesturing at the door.

"I'll be sure to pass it on. We have repaired your tank. You are free to report to your new commanders, I have staff prepared to show you the way."

The crew of the Akuma bowed again, as soldiers of the JSA did not salute civilians, and briskly walked out single file, closing the doors behind them.

Kozo stared at their exit point for a few moments with a saddened expression, before turning away.

* * *

"Told you." Eiji smugly grinned whilst limping on his brand new limb, as they were led back to their cramped mobile home by a youngish looking technician.

"I prayed to Amaterasu you were wrong, but as it always fucking is with you, you were right. Thank the, Spirits for the General!" Seiichi grumbled, but felt his spirits soar.

 _Mikasa...I'll see you soon._

"One day, Private First Class Fukui, I'll see you be wrong." Kiyoshi's mouth curled into a small smile, as best his burned face could.

"And on that day, a giant naked albino woman will turn us all into orange juice." Eiji beamed gleefully as his comrades broke into sniggering, whilst the technician cast a confused gaze over his shoulder.

"You say some of the most brilliant shit I've ever heard, Eiji." Seiichi clasped him on the back.

And then the three nearly walked into the stiffened and saluting technician.

"What are you-?" Kiyoshi stopped his annoyed growl as Gendo Ikari stalked past them, flanked by two black trench coated members of NERV's feared Section Two.

Their secret service.

But the three proud soldiers of Japan would not, nor would they ever, salute him. They saluted only their Country, its Emperor, Parliament, and protectors. This man headed a private initiative, and took a great deal of Japanese money with no properly given reason.

To the JSA, this made NERV among the lowest of the low.

Gendo found it amusing to see the looks of sheer hatred and disgust these men threw at him, as if they thought his actions were unforgivable.

 _Not unforgivable, necessary. Simple fools, one day you will understand._

And thus he walked out of sight, the gazes of the three men trailing after him.

"What a cunt." Eiji spat on the ground. He'd been filled in on what the poor kid they'd picked up yesterday had been put through... **by his own father**.

He'd had never been good with, nor really liked children. But...no child deserved to be treated like that. And no child deserved to be used as a soldier, which Geneva should be throwing a huge hissy fit about. But alas, the bastard king had such cowards in his pocket.

"It was a good thing you weren't there last night, Eiji. I really think you'd have tried to kill him." Kiyoshi tore his gaze away before patting the still frozen technician on the shoulder, causing him to jump.

 _By the Spirits, you people truly are Japan's last line of defence aren't you?_

After another good ten minutes of walking, they reached the corridor that led directly to the parking lot they'd come from the previous afternoon.

Waving their guide away dismissively, whilst forcing Eiji to ignore the technician's look of absolute disdain, it was not long before they were all sitting within the uncomfortable and humid metal box that was a Type 2 Yoroi.

Otherwise known as home.

"Everything is working as it should be...front armour repaired...A-T field activated and expanded, rail gun online...ready to go sir." Eiji looked up at his superior from his driving seat, helmet firmly placed upon his head.

The Sergeant smiled, before nodding.

"Get us out of this creepy hole."

" _Hai_!"

The S2 engine began to hum, and the Akuma rumbled forward.

At the turret control, Seiichi felt the tank bump and jolt as it went along, feeling like closing his eyes. For all this movement made him feel sleepy.

He hadn't slept a wink last night, not after what he'd seen of that fight. The poor kid was lucky to even be alive, even if his foe appeared to have some concept of honour. Kiyoshi couldn't actually watch, his gaze firmly fixed on his black boots, a look of shame and rage upon his face.

Especially when "Shinji" started screaming.

Turning his thoughts to more positive things, the twenty-seven year old felt himself warm up. In a way, that wasn't caused by the humid conditions of his Tank.

 _Tokyo-3...the damned Capital. Cushy patrols, military displays, all the sights and sounds..._

He blinked as the tank drove out through the _entrance point 18_ , broken barrier still there with furious Section Three trooper, who hurled no small amount of verbal abuse at them, and the sun shining brightly through his periscope.

 _And you Mikasa. I want to hold you again so badly..._


	9. 2:3 The apartment

_2:10pm, medical ward, lifts_

"Don't worry, we aren't getting lost this time." Misato cheerfully said to herself and Shinji. Pushing a button to call the lift, they stood there for a while in quiet, until Shinji managed to speak his mind.

"Katsuragi-san...Is the Eva okay? Have I...damaged it at all?"

Despite being sixteen years old and actually being average height for his age, which made him taller than her, he looked so awfully small, scrawny and weak when compared to those around him. In fact, Misato had to stop herself giving him a hug.

"It took a couple of scratches, but it's fine." She put on a winning smile, whilst he exhaled in relief.

"That's good. I'd hate to get it broken or anything...it's far more valuable than me anyway."

"Pilots are more important than what they pilot. A machine can be replaced, a person can't." She put a hand on his shoulder, slightly alarmed by such a philosophy.

"Machines don't roar or bleed, Katsuragi-san." Chills ran down the seasoned soldier's spine at those words. To be blunt, Misato had no clue how the Evas worked, or why they worked. And she herself had difficulty believing the _war machine_ story.

The "ding" of the lift arriving caused the pair to come back to reality. Straightening up they prepared to enter, until the doors slid open to reveal Gendo Ikari.

Flanked by Section Two operatives, he stared down at his only child with the same blank expression he showed everyone else. But as for Shinji...a scowl of uncharacteristic pure disgust contorted itself into existence on his features, right fist clenching and unclenching.

Gendo wasn't disturbed by this, as any sane man would have been if their own flesh looked upon them in such a manner.

The doors closed, and NERV's Commander was obscured from sight. A moment later, Shinji's fist smashed into cold metal, trembling with fury and distress. Although his gaze was directed at the ground, the faint sound of quiet sobbing could be heard.

Misato watched on in a helpless manner, as she herself had no idea what to do in such a situation. They simply waited until the next empty lift came, got in, then pushed the button marked _Reception_.

A little later, the purplehead's breath had been taken away as command's orders were relayed.

"He...he'll be living alone?"

"That's right, you'll be put in apartment four, floor eight, block one, sector two." The receptionist appeared to completely ignore the fact that a sixteen year old boy was to be living by himself.

"Will that do?" He addressed the young man.

"Yes...that'll be fine." Shinji nodded his head in a resigned manner. And yet he felt a slight bit of warmth in his heart to see Misato's concern.

"Shinji-kun, are you sure about this?" She looked at him in a searching manner, trying to detect whether or not he meant it.

"Katsuragi-san, I've lived by myself for the past couple of years. Don't worry, I'm used to it."

 _At least I won't be living with father._

Misato felt her heart stop for a few moments as the words left his mouth.

 _You hate your dad, and you live by yourself? Spirits, we have a fair bit in common don't we?_

Perhaps it was this, along with feelings of guilt and compassion, that persuaded her to do what she did next.

* * *

 _2:30pm, parking lot_

 _" **No**..."_ Ritsuko's voice crackled on the other end of the telephone, as Misato wickedly grinned.

"Yes you heard right, I'm taking care of, Shinji-kun now. It's already a done deal with the brass."

 _"Misato-chan...we want the Third child to keep piloting the Evas. We don't want him giving up all hope for humanity after spending a few days with you."_

Granted there could be worse situations, but if Ritsuko's party girl friend was still the same person she'd known all those years ago, then heavens help them.

"Oh honestly, Rits-chan, I'm a mature adult. I'm not going to try anything with him-" The following eruption from Ritsuko caused Misato to hold the phone away from her ear, whilst Shinji watched on, bewildered.

 _Why is she doing this?_

 _"Oh for the love of the Spirits is it completely beyond your capability to grow up!? The fact you can even suggest that kind of thing...J-j-just oh damn it don't you have any sense of shame!?"_ The faux blonde's rumblings were silenced by Misato hitting the end call button.

"Some people have no sense of humour."

Shinji stood there looking rather confused. Shocked that this woman was putting herself out for him.

 **Him!**

"I suppose so." He said quietly, but he made sure his expression was one of gratitude. And this wasn't simply a force of habit, because he genuinely felt it.

Upon being ushered into Misato's now not so dented car and fastening his seat-belt, Shinji felt something akin to _relaxed_. Whilst such a state should be impossible for someone so anxious, the thought of not facing a terrifying monster, or his father, at the end of this journey allowed his anxiety levels to shrink to acceptable levels.

After being driven out of the complex through entrance point 18, with the major entrance points being strictly for important uses, the feeling of seeing the sun, the wonderful yellow orb that he'd thought would never again touch him with its gentle warmth, made a gentle sigh escape Shinji's lips as he closed his eyes.

"So, I guess we'll be celebrating tonight?" Misato said.

"Um...okay. What for?" He tilted his head.

"I have to welcome my new flat mate! What sort of host would I be if I didn't?"

Shinji couldn't understand this. Someone was not only going out of their way for him, but they were also celebrating the fact he would be living with them for the foreseeable future.

Teacher had never even celebrated his birthday...

"So what do you want? I'm stopping by one of the convenience stores so you can pick whatever you like." Misato eagerly added.

"Um...I...I don't mind. I'm not picky with food, and it's your house after all."

Last night he'd made a decision because the situation demanded it. Now...his non-existent confidence was crumbling.

"Alright. You don't have a problem with Ramen do you?"

"Not at all Katsuragi-san."

* * *

 _2:50pm, Tokyo-3, NERV residences convenience store 8_

He stood behind his g _uardian_ , as she paid for a horde of microwaveable food at the counter.

Shinji had assumed his usual position when he was in public. Head down staring at his shoes, with specially grown fringe to obscure eye contact with the universe, and hands in pockets. Truly the image of a depressed teenager whom people wouldn't want to talk to, which suited him fine.

 _No one would like me anyway._

"Spirits, did you see the damage?"

He couldn't help but listen in, as two women in their late thirties joined the cue.

"Hard not to. I don't care what my husband says, I won't keep the children here."

"You can't be serious about leaving the capital? We've already abandoned two of them."

"Yes, the JSA couldn't protect either of them, and they probably can't protect this one."

"Shhh, that could get us into trouble!"

"They don't kill people for pointing out facts. Anyway that's not the only reason I want to go."

"Don't be cryptic, spit it out."

"You know that super weapon NERV used?"

"Yes...I don't know what it looks like, but what about it?"

"No one does, all the cameras were turned off last night. Well, apparently during that fight it crushed a shelter."

Shinji's heart stopped.

"Oh that's awful."

"Damn right. Three hundred people were in that bunker, and they only pulled out one who was still breathing. A little girl if the news is right..."

And that's all he heard for a while.

 _...All those people...oh Spirits...oh Spirits..._

* * *

 _3:30pm, over watch._

"It's so quiet." The brown haired boy murmured.

Before him sprawled the vast emptiness of Tokyo-3. Of course he knew most of its many buildings were currently underground, but that didn't take away from the feeling of loneliness.

It had been just as they were leaving the convenience store, when Misato had checked her watch and asked if they could make a detour. Of course he'd said "yes," as being confrontational was not in his nature. Upon asking why, she'd said "Oh it's a really cool place."

Despite his teenage intuition cringing when a fully grown adult used the word "cool," he'd been taken onboard by her enthusiasm.

And he hadn't regretted it.

Despite it being empty, Tokyo-3 was so gargantuan it took Shinji's breath away.

"3:30. It'll happen now." Misato remarked to herself. Before he could even ask what _It'll happen now_ meant, a siren echoed over the quiet landscape.

And so, as if by some great screeching wail of a command, the many apartment blocks and skyscrapers rose from the ground. He'd seen pictures of this happening before, as all children of Japan knew of their capital city's glory, and of their nation's technological prowess. But even then, nothing compared to actually seeing it in person.

"Wow..."

"Yes, I could barely believe it myself when I first saw it. But there it is, Tokyo-3. Capital of the State of Japan and probably the most advanced city in the world. This is the city **you** saved, Shinji-kun." Misato smiled at him.

Time seemed to slow down for Shinji.

 _I...saved this? I did...something good?_

* * *

 _3:30pm, NERV Central, geo front residences, apartment 18_

A pair of green eyes flickered over paper after paper, with pen held in hand.

Work was something Ritsuko never stopped doing, except when she managed to get a small amount of sleep every now and again. Granted she certainly wasn't uncomfortable right now, especially with _Albert_ wrapped around the back of her neck.

The black cat contentedly snored whilst his owner rather wished she could do the same thing.

The other cat, a brown one called _Einstein,_ slept atop a heap of papers which she'd fortunately finished before the pompous animal had deigned them fit to function as his bed for the evening. They demanded everything from her, and didn't give anything back in return. But still they did, as far as cats can, care for her, as demonstrated by sometimes sleeping on her face whenever she had a nap.

Not like **him**...

Ritsuko hissed in anger, quietly mind you, as Albert was a cantankerous bastard when woken up.

 _It's over, I've moved on, I'm happier, I'm never going back to that manipulative, cruel, old cu-_

An excruciating rip of paper caused her to groan. Turning her head wearily, she saw Einstein claw those meticulously assorted papers.

"Oh for Spirits sake..." Lifting the brown hair ball off them, she set Einstein down on her lap whilst giving a look of _if you claw me I won't feed you for a week_.

The cat, seeming to understand, curled up and didn't move.

That was why she preferred cats, they just seemed to understand you with complete and utter ease. Whereas compared to a dog which just kept going back to the owner for love, no matter how much it was abused...

Taking a deeply controlled breath, she set the pen down and engulfed some coffee.

Turning her mind away from the individual who caused her so much grief, it eventually settled on a very pale girl with red eyes and blue hair upon a hospital bed.

Rei had recovered well from the _incident_ , but Ritsuko personally felt twenty days was not enough for her to be combat effective again, even after a dip in the rejuvenation tank.

Four weeks was what she'd told the Commander, no less. And still he'd completely ignored her.

"Twenty days...she's not a machine you know..."

Ritsuko dwelt sadly on her previous conversation with Rei, noting how the only responses she got from her were quiet and short. But still, underneath all that, the faux blonde still had a feeling the girl's old curiosity was very much alive and well. Especially when she'd brought up the subject of Shinji, and what Rei's feelings were on the matter.

The Sub Commander was met with an expression of intrigue that only she would understand. For Ritsuko was one of the few people in the world who could truly say they somewhat _knew_ Rei Ayanami. In particular, Rei wanted to know more about the person whom referred to her as "Sister."

The faux blonde took that as a sign the little girl who'd quietly badgered her with questions about everything, was still very much there.

Perhaps Gendo hadn't spoiled her completely yet.

 _Damn, if you could you wouldn't let her back in Unit 00 again would you?_ Her subconscious questioned.

Ritsuko never openly admitted to caring for the _clone_ , as her feelings were still rather mixed despite knowing this girl since her birth all those years ago.

A sad parody of flesh, one you could mistake for a machine at times, grown from one of the greatest scientific mind's in history, and the little girl who used to become fascinated by the colour blue.

Rei was all these things to Ritsuko. And she really wished she could make up her mind on the matter.

 _"Am I intruding?"_ A loud voice boomed throughout the room. As the cats sprang into life and started hissing, she looked up at the ceiling and moaned.

"What do you want?"

It took a millisecond for Caspar to respond.

 _"Gendo-chan wants to converse with you on Wednesday's incident. Simulation room one, right about now."_

Ritsuko sighed before standing up. Now work didn't seem so boring.

"Tell him I'm on my way." She rubbed her eyes before slinging a lab coat over her NERV Sub Commander uniform. She was halfway to the door before she stopped and checked herself.

 _Ah, how did I forget? The last thing I want to do is freak people out with_ _ **them**_ _._

Quickly going back over to her desk, the thirty one year old picked up her white gloves and slid them over her nastily burned hands...

* * *

 _4:00pm, Tokyo-3, NERV quarters_

"The place might be a bit untidy, as I've only just moved in myself. But it's your home as well now, so feel free to make yourself comfortable." Misato's voice disappeared down the hallway as she went to get changed, whilst Shinji stared in enthralled horror at his new home.

Clothes, beer cans, fast food containers and every other conceivable form of trash littered the floor.

 _By the Spirits...is this purgatory?_

"Shinji-kun, could you put the food in the fridge for me?" His host's head poked out from the other side of the corridor.

"Yes, of course Katsuragi-san!" He politely bowed his head before setting himself to the task.

The apartment was small, perhaps even smaller than the one he'd lived in with teacher.

It's walls were painted a warm cream colour, whilst possessing a lounge and kitchen with a hallway running down the side of it. These led off to two bedrooms and a bathroom, with the entrance to the apartment at the other end.

Carefully not stepping on anything, Shinji worked his way over to one of the two large fridges. Upon opening it, his jaw dropped.

"Snacks...ice...fifty cans of beer..." His brain pondered over what sort of person he was living with, and what sort of life she lead.

Eventually making what space he could and inserting the food into the fridge, he ran a hand through his mousey hair. This had been an interesting day indeed.

Taking a look to his left, Shinji's curiosity was piqued by the other fridge in the corner.

 _What on Earth does she need another fridge for? I hope there isn't another fifty cans in there!_

Upon closer inspection, he realised that some sort of small door was cut into the bottom side of it.

"Um, Katsuragi-san. What's in the other fridge?" He called out.

"Oh don't mind him, he's probably sleeping." Came the vague response.

 _Probably sleeping?_ Shinji metaphorically shrugged, as many things had not made sense over the past few days. He might as well get used to it.

His task complete, the young man parked himself on one of the blueish coloured sofas, letting himself relax for the first time in days.

Granted the sofa was average in comfort, but he didn't care. Leaning his head into it, the stress and fear of the past few day finally took their toll, causing his yielding to exhaustion.

 _I'll just close my eyes for a bit...just for a few minutes..._

Some time later, when Misato had dressed into some casual clothing, she walked back into her lounge only to find Shinji fast asleep. She chuckled quietly before, with as much stealth as possible, opening the fridge and getting what food she could out of it. Surprisingly the pinging of the microwave didn't wake him up, as did the sound of wrapping being torn open, and food being dumped on a plate. Eventually, she had to go over to the comatose boy and shake his shoulder.

"Hey sleepyhead. I know you've had a rough day but the evening meal is important." She said cheerfully, as Shinji groaned when consciousness returned to him.

"How long was I out?"

"Not long at all. Now get up, or your dinner will go cold." Misato led him over to the table and sat down in clothes that screamed _look at my nice curvy body_.

To his cerulean eyes, the food looked...edible.

Perhaps.

Ready made was something he'd never experienced before, as his teacher had always encouraged him to cook for the both of them. Encouraged as in Shinji would starve and gain a cut lip if he didn't.

Misato had already leaned back in her seat and downed a can of beer in one much to his alarm, before slamming it back down on the table and starting to eat.

Slowly picking up his chopsticks, Shinji joined her whilst mulling over how, if he ate in the same way she did, wolfing it all down within seconds, he'd have received the beating of his life from teacher.

Ten minutes later, he found himself becoming more and more uncomfortable, especially with Misato enveloping four more cans, becoming louder and louder.

"Life doesn't get much better than this, huh, Shinji-kun!?" Her voice shook the apartment, with the boy in question shrinking into his seat and meekly replying "I suppose so."

She tilted her head in drunken confusion at Shinji's nearly full plate.

"Not hungry? Even if it's instant it isn't bad."

"No, no everything is fine...it's just I've never eaten like this before..."

 _She wants something from me, that's the only reason she's being nice..._

"What!? Are you finicky!?" Her face was directly in his almost immediately, yellow shirt exposing a certain part of her chest.

"No not at all, Katsuragi-san, I'm really grateful for this." He tried smiling, but his quiet and cowering voice betrayed his fear. And then, to his complete surprise, she smiled back.

"Isn't this nice?" She stated, not as a question, but as fact.

"Um...what?"

"Eating with a friend is a lot better than being by yourself, am I right?" She slumped back into her seat, grinning drunkenly.

He simply opened and closed his mouth for a few moments.

"Y-Yes, Katsuragi-san."

* * *

 _4:15pm, NERV Central, simulation room one_

The gold and white giant stood there, as if frozen in time. It's mighty fist had smashed into the observation room, shattered glass that was yet to be cleaned away still littered the floor. Ritsuko couldn't help but look at Evangelion Unit 00 every now and again, her brain constantly reminding her it was deactivated.

That it couldn't move.

That even in this light it was clearly stationary and wasn't looking at her.

He'd been standing there in front of her for a while now, his back turned as she explained the situation.

"So in short, the fact is I can't tell you why it did what it did. Perhaps the synch went wrong, perhaps the restrictions failed, I don't know. What I can tell you is that Unit 00 is just as unstable as ever. And I strongly recommend we don't put Ayanami-san back in there for some time, lest we repeat the current situation." She took a deep breath, having talked non-stop for the past half hour.

Gendo didn't respond for a few moments, keeping his back turned so as to make whoever was speaking to him feel small and insignificant.

But Ritsuko was having none of that.

"Am I required for anything else, Commander?"

"I want Unit 00 ready for combat operations within three weeks." The Commander finally spoke after thirty minutes of quiet.

"That's too soon for a synch test sir. Ayanami-san is lucky to be alive it is."

"That was an order Sub Commander."

"Commander...with all due respect we have to consider the strain this has on the Pilot. A Pilot Link requires an immense amount of effort, in a weakened state it could kill her or worse." She subconsciously shuddered at the thought of "worse."

"This along with the fact that all our Pilots are children...we need to take great care-" She was stopped mid sentence by Gendo, with that commanding yet lifeless voice of his.

"There are no others who can pilot the Evas. As long as they live, that is what I'll have them do." He said in a manner indicating the conversation was over.

But Ritsuko was stubborn.

"They are not tools...Commander." Her eyes narrowed, giving him clear indication of her disapproval. However, as she well knew, he simply didn't care.

"We are finished here, Sub Commander. You are dismissed." Unable to see his small smile, Ritsuko scowled as she turned away.

But just as she was going out through the electric sliding door, she stopped.

"Did you even see Ayanami-san at the hospital today?"

Silence.

 _I thought so._

And with that, Ritsuko left the Commander to his own thoughts, whatever they may be, and stormed back to her apartment so as to fume for the rest of the day.

* * *

 _5:00pm, Tokyo-3, NERV quarters_

"Wasn't that a fair way to divide the chores?" Misato beamed from ear to ear, whilst Shinji regretted underestimating her ability at playing " _rock, paper, scissors_ " when drunk. Now, he was stuck with seventy percent of the apartment's chores.

"Yes, Katsuragi-san." He half grimaced, half sighed.

They were still at the dinner table, with his guardian revelling in her drunkenness and lack of coordination.

Apparently in the age before Second Impact, getting drunk was usually followed by this terrible headache called a _hangover_. But in 2017, a simple pill provided by any chemist would stop it happening. As you can imagine, said drug was often referred to as _the best thing ever_ by those who took it.

Misato being one of them.

"Now, this is your home." She swept out her bare arms, so as to point out the entire apartment was indeed his place of residence.

"So feel free to take advantage of anything here...except for me of course." She had to cover her mouth with a hand, as Shinji went through many different expressions in a few seconds.

Shock.

Horror.

Embarrassment.

"I...I...um...yes, Katsuragi-san."

"Gah, yes, yes, yes, that's all you ever say isn't it? Well it's getting on my nerves!" Misato reached over the table, grabbed a tuft of his hair and started tugging it.

"You're a boy aren't you? Where in heaven's name is your backbone?" She eventually relinquished her grip as Shinji stammered another petrified "yes, Katsuragi-san."

Slumping back into her seat, the purplehead sighed.

"Oh I suppose that's just the way it is with you." She looked like she was mulling over something for a few moments, before suddenly brightening up.

"You should take a bath! Yeah that's a great idea!" She swept our her arms once again in a most dramatic gesture, completely failing to notice her charge's look of complete confusion.

"Hot water cleans the mind and soul..hic.." She put a hand to her mouth as a few drunken hiccups escaped her lips.

"I'm...I'm sure, Katsuragi-san. I'll go have one now..." Shinji tenderly got down from his seat, respectfully bowed, then walked off whilst Misato dwelt upon drunken philosophy.

* * *

He stood in front of the bathroom door, with absolutely no item of clothing upon his person. From the dining room, he could hear her occasional giggle over whatever her strange mind was thinking of.

 _What the hell have I got myself into?_ Shinji smiled slightly before placing his hand upon the door handle.

Misato sipped some water after gulping down one of those hangover pills and relaxed in the silence of the place in which she lived.

Her previous apartment had been one of the ones down in the geofront, huge and luxurious. But...she found it a too big and empty for her liking, so she'd moved up into the city where there was a fair bit more to do. And this apartment, unlike her old one, had character to it.

Then her mind began to try and remind her of something...something important that Shinji really should know.

And then she remembered.

"Shinji-kun, would you come in here for a moment, I need to talk-" She wasn't able to finish, as a high pitched shriek of terror echoed throughout the house.

With the pounding of feet, he appeared in the kitchen with a look of panic.

"K-Katsuragi-san! There's a...a...thing in the bathroom!" His high pitched voice slowly ebbed away as the thing that had scared him so, waddled past with a small towel wrapped around its shoulders. As if completely ignoring the situation around him, the Penguin went straight to the other fridge and placed its clawed flipper onto a clear piece of material next to a small door in the fridge's side.

After a brief series of bleeps and bloops, the door opened and the Penguin stepped inside his home, not before giving Shinji some sort of _evil eye_.

The door sealed behind him, and the bird was gone.

"What...what...?"

"Ah, that's Pen-pen. He's your _other_ room mate." Misato smiled ever so slightly over the situation before raising an eyebrow.

"Um...you might want to cover that up." She had to raise her glass of water to her lips, so as to hide her smirk.

Shinji turned bright red as he realised his somewhat small manhood was on full display. With yet another shriek, he tore around the corner and back down the corridor, the bathroom door slamming shut behind him.

 _I should probably be nicer to him...but it's just too much fun! And anyway, he's probably made his mind up about me already._

Misato went back to drinking her water.

* * *

Actual water.

Not that awful orange goo his plug had been filled with the night before, but the clear liquid which was so much lighter and more comfortable than LCL could ever hope to be.

Here, Shinji Ikari was truly relaxed.

The hot steaminess of the water could have made him fall asleep if he'd let it. But he didn't feel like drifting off into unconsciousness yet. He felt it was time to dwell upon the events of the past few days.

 _Spirits...It was only a few days ago that I was in Kure doing sweet nothing. But...that all feels like a lifetime ago._

He gently swirled his hand in the water, letting the tiny whirlpools he created engage his attention.

 _I've probably interacted with more people since I got here than I've done in forever._

Faces flashed past him in a heartbeat, but they were committed to memory. The one currently in prominent position, was this strange woman who'd decided to take him in.

 _Misato Katsuragi...she seems nice. As in genuinely nice, I didn't really think there were people like that anymore._

He grimly reflected on how even though it had occurred the year before he was born, Second Impact had killed most of Mankind's kindness. For that and many other reasons did he curse it.

 _She probably just wants something from me. Like piloting the Eva._

Shinji shuddered as that green orb staring at him seeped its way back into his mind.

 _I don't want to do it. But I have to...even if it is scary. Mother always said sometimes we need to do things we're scared of...I wish she was here._

His fist clenched a little, whilst a single solitary tear trickled down his cheek.

 _I'd be irresponsible if I let people die because I was scared. And..._

His memory settled upon a hospital room with a pale girl lying upon a hospital bed.

 _I can't let them make Ayanami-san Pilot it. I'm not letting father use her as a tool then throw her away._

He wasn't at peace with it, but he felt as if his mind was truly made up.

 _I guess that settles it. I'll keep piloting._

* * *

Shinji stared up at his bedroom's ceiling, having not done much else for a while now.

Granted he'd first finished his bath, dried himself off, then spent a bit more time with his _host_.

Misato was still drunk, but unlike teacher alcohol had a very different effect upon her. When intoxicated, she somehow became even more cheerful than usual, and relentlessly teased anything that came into her line of sight. As such Shinji did go quite red at the cheeks when she kept bringing up his _small beans_ and roaring with laughter about it.

But then the evening took a turn for the better when he was properly introduced to Pen-pen.

After giving the bizarre creature a beer can from the fridge due to it staring at him for a while, the flightless bird had hopped on the sofa and buried itself into his lap.

Henceforth, Shinji was rather fond of the male erect crested Penguin.

His bedside clock read 11:00pm, making him smile a little. Time usually went by quite slowly for him in his lonely life, but in this realm of insanity it went by faster than his father expressing emotion. He still felt uneasy, as this place was unfamiliar to him.

But that was to be expected.

Shinji tended to take a while to settle, so there wasn't anything wrong with the place, it was usually his own awkwardness making the situation difficult.

Anyway, he certainly didn't dislike it here. It was a great deal more lively than his tatty and lonely apartment back in Kure...

Indeed, he found himself rather surprised by the fact he was enjoying another's company.

His belongings were scattered around the room in boxes, moved from Kure without his permission a few days before, as if his father **knew** he'd be staying here for the foreseeable future. Not everything had arrived yet, but all the essentials such as clothing were here. Hence how he'd been able to pull his grey pyjamas out.

In the corner of the room however, resided his pride and joy.

His cello.

An instrument he'd taught himself to play after hearing a piece of music produced by them once before. So entranced with it, he'd saved and scraped with his money for a very long time before buying one with his own cash. Somehow he'd kept it secret from teacher for all those years, only being able to play it freely after the man died.

Where he in the mood, Shinji would have been creating _beautiful sound_ with it at that very moment, but not now. His thoughts were still dwelling on all the events which had occurred since his leaving Kure.

His walk-man was unusually not in his ears, as HE felt his situation was best pondered in silence.

"Hey, Shinji-kun, is it okay if I come in?" Misato's muffled voice could be heard from beyond his door.

Not really knowing what to do in such a situation, he remained quiet.

A bit of light slid into the room as his door was opened. She stood there, having just finished her own bath with towels wrapped around her hair and slender body. Shinji made the wise decision of focusing on her face.

"I just thought you should know. You did a very noble, and very brave thing yesterday. You should be proud." Gaining no response for a few moments, Misato nodded in resignation as she started sliding the door shut. But not before a meek voice came from Shinji's lips.

"Thank you. Goodnight, Katsuragi-san."

The purplehead stood there for a little longer, smiling.

"Goodnight, Shinji-kun."

The door closed, and he was by himself again.

Resuming his fixation on the ceiling, arms folded behind his head, he found a full smile forming on his lips.

"Noble huh?" Shinji said quietly to himself, closing his eyes and descending into the realm of sleep.


	10. 2:4 Elsewhere

_11:00am, Saturday the 10th of June, European League, Neue Deustches Reich, Sanssouci palace._

Rudolf Von Hohenzollern was a busy man. Even though technically as Emperor of Germany he held no power, he was a man who liked to be involved in the decision making of his Reichstag. But today was Saturday, and that meant relaxing in his family's ancient seat, the palace of Sanssouci. Away from the clean but crowded streets of Berlin. Away from all the yelling and debates that occurred within parliament.

Out here, in the depths of the German countryside, was where the forty-five year old Kaiser could _put his feet up_.

His favourite past time in particular was walking around the grounds of his palace, letting the delightful smells of all the various flowers fill his nose. However it was during such a walk that one of his servants had run up to him with a red face, and sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Forgive me, your Majesty, I have told her that you're indisposed but...she will not listen." The servant's exhausted expression then became confused as his Kaiser quietly laughed.

"It is to be expected...let Countess Soryu know I'll receive her in my study."

"At once, your Majesty!"

Rudolf reluctantly but briskly walked back into the beautiful halls of his palace, having no time to take in the ornate windows, paintings, or marble.

 _Gott have mercy on my soul if she's there before me._ His subconscious muttered, knowing full well what fury the girl who wished an audience with him could unleash at any given moment.

Fortunately however, upon reaching it, his office was empty save for the two _Gardes du Corps_ troopers standing outside.

"Your Majesty!" They saluted.

Rudolf nodded at them, before they opened the doors to his workplace.

Having sat down at his desk, not being able to take in the lavish luxuries of his office, Rudolf quickly massaged his head and fiddled with his black beard, in preparation for what was coming.

 _Oh Asuka, you know today is the day I like to relax..._

There was a muffled sound of saluting from beyond the closed doors, swiftly followed by a dark blue coated Guardsman slipping in.

"Countess Soryu requests an audience with you."

"It is granted." Rudolf gestured towards the door which would soon let in the destruction of any and all peace and quiet he'd been enjoying that day.

And so, inevitably, the doors opened. And in strolled the Second child.

At about five foot three inches, Hauptmann of the Luftwaffe, and Countess of the Reich, Asuka Zeppelin Soryu, was of average height for a girl who would be sixteen in six months, yet in a way she somehow towered over every resident of Sanssouci, including the stern military officers who paraded around in their helmets and moustaches.

As to be expected, she was wearing that yellow sun dress of which she was so fond, which completely clashed with the 19th century style clothing of the German aristocracy. A group to which she belonged.

She stopped some ten feet from his desk, and then in an uncharacteristic manner for all save him, gave a polite curtsey.

"Your Majesty."

The head of house Hohenzollern chuckled a little at a display of respect she showed only to him, his head resting upon his gloved hand.

"So...what can I do for you today, Asuka?"

Her young and searing sapphire eyes met his old brown ones, as she inhaled deeply.

"Your Majesty, I believe I have made it very clear my wish to be deployed to Japan at the earliest opportunity?"

"Indeed you have."

"Then **why** am I still here?" Her arms folded, a danger sign indeed.

"You know we are loading Unit 02 onto the Seydiltz as fast as we can, not to mention the High Seas fleet still needs to be prepared...just give us a little more time..." Rudolf squirmed in his seat as Asuka's voice rose.

"All the Seraphim will be dead by the time you dummkopfs are finished! So much for German efficiency! I can't just sit out here and do **nothing** whilst...what's his name? Shin...Shin..." She blinked as she tried to remember the name which had made her blood boil, whilst pointing a threatening finger at her Monarch.

"I believe his name is Shinji Ikari." Rudolf offered.

"That's the guy, **stupid Shinji**! I can't let him take all the glory for himself! Gott at this rate Unit 03's going to get there before me...Samuel would never let me hear the end of it... **Britain** would never let us hear the end of it!" She started pouting, as if to herself, whilst a man who was practically her _Guardian_ couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"You of course, as per usual." His smile only grew wider as Asuka looked like she wanted to scream, thought better of it, then folded her bare arms.

"I'll ask Chancellor Mack to send more men to Hamburg, to assist with loading. Now that there has been an actual Seraph attack there isn't really much excuse for you being here. Not to mention Larue and Laberenz will probably want you off as soon as possible." Rudolf noted how her expression lightened at the reinforcement of _yes you are going_.

"It's a shame Evas mess with A-T fields. Otherwise I could've flown down there in one night." She sighed before looking apologetic.

"Thank you. I know it's a Saturday and all but I just **hate** waiting." She brushed back a strand of her hair.

Asuka's red mane was ridiculously long in his eyes, going well past her shoulders, almost down to the small of her back. She'd always had it like that, since she was a little girl. Perhaps it was kept like that to give the impression of _untameable_. An image that wasn't entirely wrong.

But to be frank, Rudolf didn't care. What made her happy, made him happy. And as much as he hated the idea of sending her off to some far flung land to fight horrible creatures, he was all too aware of how much his charge loved piloting, and how much Unit 02 meant to her.

 _Good Gott that_ _ **thing**_ _unsettles me..._ He inwardly shuddered a little at the thought of the black behemoth NERV kept telling him was a war machine, much to his doubt.

Machines didn't make noises like that...

"It's alright. A good Kaiser should always be available to address his subject's difficulties."

"Jah." Asuka absently mindedly said before curtsying again.

"Good day, your Majesty. I won't disturb you again." She smiled that sickly sweet smile of _only if you do as you're told._

"You've never disturbed me, Asuka. And you know that." He gestured at the door, with the red head nodding and walking out.

He stood there for a while, feeling his heart seize up. A promise he had never been able to fulfill kept going through his mind, as an image of a gravestone and a weeping child took over his memory.

 _I swear...I'll make her happy, I swear, Kyoko..._

* * *

 _10:00pm, Great British Empire, Buenos Aires._

His titanium encased foot crashed down on another armoured vehicle, metal and flesh being crushed in equal measure.

Major Samuel Meadow of the Imperial Britannic Army, grinned a fearsome grin. As a feeble artillery bombardment rained down upon him, he watched some two thousand fighters of the _Argentinian Resistance Front_ scatter like rabbits. A quick flick of Unit 03's wrist and the flaring of his A-T field, caused hundreds of those men to be reduced to a crimson mist.

Great Britain's inexorable advance into South America had been one of the quickest conquests in history. The fractured and ruined remnants of the pre-Impact governments, or the tin pot Dictators and War Lords, had had been utterly powerless to stem the Empire's advance. In fact it was the revolts that gave them the most trouble, the ones in Argentina being the most difficult to stamp down due to the patriotic nature of its people, with even the half a decade past unrest in the reclaimed thirteen colonies paling in comparison.

How ironic, Samuel mused, less than forty years ago these people had tried to invade Warspite harbour, back when that set of islands had been called _the Falklands_.

Now it seemed the tables had turned.

One of the fleeing rebels had turned around and was now firing point blank at him, bullets crumpling against a wall of flickering orange light.

A navy blue armoured foot turned him into a bloody stain.

 _Why must you resist!? Why bring all this unnecessary destruction upon yourself!? You cannot win, you could never win!_ Samuel grimaced as he felt a heavy calibre shell clang off the back of Unit 03's great helm, causing a slight ringing sensation in his head.

 _Bloody hell Samuel, stay focused! Keep that A-T field up!_

Unit 03 continued its march through the city, as tens of thousands of people scattered before the Imperial god machine. However, one should note the navy blue monster tread with great care around those unarmed.

To the people of Argentina, the Eva was the most terrifying thing their culture had ever witnessed. They'd thought they'd seen the full might of the Empire, and whilst one should tremble before it, the Imperial war machine could be opposed.

But this?

This was a demon sent from Hell itself to claim their souls. It had used no weapons except its feet and fists, and it obliterated entire blocks and legions of men in a maelstrom of energy, by will alone. This was all the proof Britain needed to show the people it ruled, there was no point in defiance. But of course, the Imperial Britannic Armed Forces were not simply going to cow these _barbarians_ into obedience.

They would sear a scar into the people of South America's cultural memory for hundreds of years to come.

 _"Major Meadow."_ The voice of Sky Marshal Keery boomed over Samuel's comm link, as a four engined VTOL hurtled towards the Eva, proudly bearing the colours of the Argentinian Resistance Front.

"What is your command, sir?" He slammed aside one of the last remaining Argentinian VTOLs with a swipe of his white painted hand. The machine fell apart from the mere impact.

 _"Cease movement and focus on the maintaining of your A-T field. My fleet shall take it from here."_

"Many of these people had very little to do with the uprising sir..."

 _"It matters not. These barbarians will make fine examples nonetheless, therefore the peoples of the conquered territories will be less inclined to reject the mercy of our_ _ **glorious Emperor**_ _in future. Now, brace yourself or you may gain a few burns."_ The comm link went dead, and Samuel felt his shoulders slump.

Some ten thousand feet above Buenos Aires, eleven dagger shaped Imperial FCV's, painted in flashy black and gold, maintained a stationary position, having only just arrived a few minutes prior.

Upon the command bridge of the four hundred metre long _Dauntless_ class dreadnought _"Duxford,"_ in his embroidered with gold lace navy blue tunic, khaki brown trousers, knee high black boots, and classic Imperial Sky Marshal's light blue cape, the grizzled Malcolm Keery surveyed the city below him with contempt.

 _So ugly when compared to Leopard. No spires, no banners, no roads, nothing. These worms suffered far less than us and yet they dwelt in their pigsty quite happily. By God this place was in need of flattening to begin with!_

"Marshal! Major Meadow reports that his A-T field is at maximum power." A Lieutenant barked.

Keery nodded.

 _He better. Alexander will have my hide if his son comes to harm._

Turning around, swirling his cape, the portly man gestured to the crew members sitting below him at their touch screens.

"Broadcast my voice to all our forces engaged in this God forsaken piss hole. I would address them."

"Yes, Marshal!"

Turning back to stare out at the twinkling night sky from his vantage point on the bridge, Keery began to speak.

"Soldiers of His Imperial Britannic Majesty's 28th Field Army, and 5th Air Fleet! For over a week have we wasted our time with these barbarians. For over a week have we attempted to negotiate, but to no avail. Even when all else had failed, when we shelled and starved them these fools would not surrender. They had their chance. Those who would reject our mercy are far too stubborn for their own good. Let us show them, how unwise it is to be both stubborn and weak. As of this moment we shall commence bombardment of Buenos Airez, and we will not cease until every single living thing inside is a roasted and **charred corpse**!" He raised his arms in the air, revelling in his words.

Many of the eleven thousand souls across the fleet, and the some one hundred thousand men surrounding the city, were doing the same thing.

"Now, sing the song of victory! **Hail Britain**!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

" **Hail Britain**!" His crew, his fleet, and the army below screamed in adulation before the second stanza of "Lion's roar," the Imperial national anthem, began to blare out on every radio frequency.

" _Praise be our glorious Empire, may its rule never come to an end. The lion flag shall fly across the Earth,-!"_

Samuel gently hummed along with it, whilst he watched the initial swarm of _Assaye_ missiles hurtle down from the heavens, smacking into the ground and levelling entire neighbourhoods along with the last remaining Argentinian fortified positions, the sheer roar of the explosions drowning out thousands of death screams.

Both of rebel and innocent.

" _-Sing of our homeland, that reigns above all, in this world-!"_

There were some people standing near Unit 03's stationary feet, looking awestruck and horrified as their world burned around them, and yet said destroying fire harmlessly rolled off the flickering orange barrier which encased them.

Above, eleven bright blue glows slowly bloomed into existence.

" _-Hail Emperor, for the pride of, our Great Britain!"_

The positron beams descended from the sky like destructive holy fire, their mere touching of the ground creating craters the likes of which meteors produced. The following storm of crackling blue energy disintegrated everything else. One shot from a Positron cannon would have been enough to annihilate half the city, but Imperial battle doctrine was over the top to begin with, as was befitting of such a dramatic and grandiose society.

The music died down, and Samuel felt himself relax. He sadly looked around the ruined and charred landscape, sighing.

 _Stupid barbarians...why did you have to resist? Don't you understand that our Emperor simply wants what's best for us all?_

He looked down at his feet to see a few dozen frightened families staring up at him.

Old, young, and weak.

"Report to all air units, there are still some non combatants in the land of the living. I request evac for them immediately." He spoke over his reopened comm link.

 _"By your command, Major Meadow. Evac inbound."_

Soon enough a black _"Harrier"_ class VTOL, an evolved version of the old RAF jet, swooped down towards them, its engines making a screaming noise that struck terror into millions.

Flicking his audio from _private_ to _loud_ , the blonde haired and blue eyed sixteen year old boy, angled his Evangelion's one eye down at the few survivors, and with a translator turned on he addressed them.

 _"Subjects of His Imperial Britannic Majesty Charles Sebastian Vance. Today you have witnessed our glorious Empire's might and mercy. **Do not forget it**."_ He couldn't help but smile to see a few fall at his feet pleading for forgiveness.

But unlike many of his British brothers and sisters, the Fourth child would accept such apologies.

Now however, his mind turned to his next deployment and what that entailed.

 _No more slaughtering helpless rebels for me. Now...now comes my real test. The Seraphim...they should make for fine opponents, if what NERV says is true..._

His eyebrows knitted together upon remembering the report of the action which occurred the other day. Against a monstrous creature which had cut through the infamously tough Tokyo-3 defence lines like a knife through butter.

And then they narrowed upon thinking of the ill trained fool who somehow managed to kill it.

 _Shinji Ikari...enjoy your little victories whilst they last. For soon I shall demonstrate the Empire's glory to the entire world._

* * *

 _09:00pm, North American Federation, Revere sewer system._

The faint dripping of water echoed throughout the tunnels, only for it to be drowned out by splashing as men with boots ran through them.

The girl shuddered a little and squeezed her teddy bear, the only thing she had left of home, as her protectors clicked off the safeties on their rifles. To her relief, out of the gloom came similarly dressed people holding the same sort of antique guns and home made bombs the people she was with had.

"What the hell took you so long?" The leader of the smaller group called out.

"Federal Guard." One of them spat in response.

"Shit..."

"They're fucking everywhere. If we want to survive this we need to get out of Revere, **tonight.** " The other one emphasized before turning his gaze upon the girl.

"What the hell is this?"

"One of the escapees from the camp...she was the only one we could save."

"...why is she here?"

"Why?...We couldn't just leave her..."

" **No** , you leave her here now, she'll only slow us down."

"Fuck you asshole, that's not happening."

"It is going to happen if you want to live. Let the Feddies have her..." His words echoed throughout the tunnel.

"Are you insane? You've seen the camps, you know what they do!" The leader put himself between the girl and the other man, whilst members of his group stared in shock.

"Yeah and I don't want to be there. We'll make things better for them one day, but if the revolution dies here then that's the end of it. Now let's move before those Guard catch up with us..."

The other group started moving off into the tunnel, with the leader of the smaller group looking frantically back and forth before sighing.

"Hope you don't weigh too much, kid..." He lifted the girl up and put her on his shoulders, before they took off after the larger group.

* * *

She didn't remember much of her early life, except it was happy.

Even in post-impact Mexico, with bandits and such roaming everywhere, she'd lived in a safe place with some semblance of order.

And then the bad men came. The bad men in grey coats and black helmets with red eyes and loud masks. They killed everyone who resisted, with bullets, bombs and... _sticky fire_. Then they took all those left up north, threw them into nasty places with sharp wire and cold houses, then made them work until their fingers bled.

"For your glorious Federation" was what they kept saying.

But it wasn't all bad, she'd had mother, the girl fondly reminisced.

She'd make her daughter laugh when the bones broke or the eyes bruised. But then came that day...when mother said something the bad men didn't like.

So they hit her, again and again, until she stopped moving. And never did again.

Then there was that night some days ago, when these nice people broke into the "camp" and rescued her along with a few others. They didn't last long.

Although her understanding of English was limited, the girl could tell her rescuers meant well through their tone of voice. Granted there were times when they yelled at each other, but they were always so quiet and kind to her. And they were Federal citizens, who had not known her suffering. And yet they stood against the regime they deemed a heinous bastardisation of their country.

Of the United States of America.

Will Dawson felt the girl's weight ware on him, but he didn't put her down.

He'd led his little band of rebels for nearly ten years now.

He remembered how in the year 1999 he'd joined the United States Marine Corps, and wore his uniform with pride. Until Second Impact, the collapse of the USA, and the rise of "Princeps Henry Abrams" and his Federation.

 _Restore the pride of America, Rome's true successor,_ was their rallying cry.

And for a while he'd bought it, even rising up the ranks to join the vaunted _TM,_ the bodyguard of the Princeps, and paramilitary wing of his "Virtus" party.

Then they'd deployed him to one of the "rehabilitation camps."

His loyalty died there.

He couldn't understand how America had fallen so far, far enough to begin persecuting entire peoples for the crime of simply not being born on the fatherland's soil. How a nation meant to have been founded on _truths meant to be held self evident_ , could work millions to death in the name of _natural selection_ was beyond him. And to be frank, he was glad he didn't understand such evil.

Suddenly, the footsteps of the group stopped. In the very dim light, he could see the other leader raise his hand as watery footsteps echoed not too far away from them, causing all to take cover.

Quickly setting the girl down, and ushering her behind cover, Will clenched his M16 close to his chest. Utterly inferior to the "Impetus" assault rifle, but it did its job.

At the end of the tunnel, where it crossed with another in a T shape, a squad of _Principe_ Federal Guard tramped past. Compared to the Ordos Corps, the iron fisted thugs who called themselves "a police force", the Guard was even more terrifying.

As this was Revere, built on top of old San Francisco, the Federal capital itself, the Ordos Corps contingent here had been well equipped but arrogant. They were easy to run rings around. But then Abrams had enough, and told his attack dog, _TM Praetor_ Harrison Hirst, to put the various rebel groups in line. And thus, along with the _Tutela Manipulis_ , an entire Legion of Federal Guard, fifty thousand men, were deployed to the city.

This being why the few remnants of "dissident movements" had been crammed down into the sewers, and even now they had to run.

The Guardsmen looked formidable, in their grey greatcoats with black helms, extensive body armour, gas masks, flowing red crests, and glowing red eye pieces. And from experience, Will knew they were every bit as capable and frightening as they looked.

But among them, catching his eye, was one wearing a white variation of the Guard uniform, except with cap instead of helmet.

Judging from her size, she was female...and young.

 _A TM Officer?_

The squad had almost tramped past, when there was a sudden splash.

He inwardly cursed when he realised some idiot had lost their footing.

One of the Guard turned their red gaze down the tunnel. He stared for a while, then levelled his weapon and fired.

The flash of his gun lit up the whole rancid tunnel, showing the twenty or so rebels, and the poor bastard he hit in the head by chance.

The words " **enemy sighted** " and " **fire, fire, fire** " were screamed simultaneously.

Some of the rebel rounds found their mark, with one or two of the Guard dropping to the floor. But most of the time, they just bounced off armour or missed completely.

The Federal Guard, the soldiers who'd nearly brought the Great British Empire to heel a decade before, we're not nearly as amateur.

One by one, the rebels fell.

"Fall back, fall back!" Will yelled as he began to run, after emptying a whole clip of his rifle at the enemy.

Only to feel hot lead tear through his back.

The bullet smashed through his lungs, resulting in him crashing into the filthy water, blood issuing forth from his wound and mouth.

The girl was huddled in the corner, her horrified gaze fixed on him.

"Run..." He gurgled before life left him completely.

* * *

She didn't understand what he said, but the general meaning was understood.

A few minutes later the girl born in Mexico, so far from home, having run so very far, slumped down into the filthy water and cried. Now the bad men had taking another thing from her.

Her teddy bear was still in her arms, and she squeezed it as tightly as possible, whilst rocking back and forth. Clothed in soaking wet grey prisoners garb, she was utterly incapable of moving. As to be expected of a seven year old, having seen the things she'd seen.

Some water rippled not too far from her, as a footstep echoed throughout the tunnel. Slowly turning her gaze upwards, the girl started shaking even more.

For a pair of red eye pieces were staring at her.

The click of a safety being thumbed off echoed, as tears streamed down the girl's dimly illuminated face.

"Hands on your damn head, right now **scum**." The TM Junior Storm Leader gripped her pistol ever tighter as the dissident stared at her in terror. She shook her head fervently and started squealing about how she "didn't want to go back" in her native tongue.

One which the TM trooper didn't understand.

"Shut up, and hands up!" She barked, firing a shot off. Not at the dissident, but somewhere close by, so as to coerce the "brat" into obedience.

This had the opposite effect of what the Federal soldier had intended.

The girl immediately sprang up and tore away, screaming " **no, no, no** " again and again.

" **Get back here**!" Junior Storm Leader Tiffany Johnson levelled her pistol and fired. There was a squeal, and the dissident collapsed, crying.

Slowly, she walked over to the helpless "Latino", towering over her.

"Resistance is pointless, Latino, you should just accept your place."

The crying didn't stop.

"What are you whining about, I only shot you in the..."

The bullet hadn't gone into the leg like she'd intended. But into the back. Red liquid intertwined with sewage as the girl continued to cry whilst clutching her teddy.

"Johnson, what have you found?" The Guard Sergeant and his men caught up with her, finding themselves staring at a crying little girl. Most of them just remained silent as her strength slowly faded, as she _garbled_ in a language they didn't understand.

One word over and over again. When translated, a word we would know as "Mommy."

And then she said no more.

 _"Junior Storm Leader Johnson, you and your squad are commanded to return to the surface. This area is clear. You have made the Federation proud this day, Foederatio sine fine!"_ The voice of their commanding officer crackled over the radio.

"Acknowledged. Foederatio sine fine."

Tiffany holstered her pistol and turned away, walking in what she would deem as an almost "dreamlike" state, as the fifteen year old's brain wasn't functioning properly.

 _Enemies of the state must die, for the good of the Federation._ Was what she kept telling herself over and over again. Much to her frustration however, she wasn't believing it. The girl had questioned why she'd been sent down here, only to receive "Princeps orders" on the matter. Apparently it was so she could "grow a backbone" or something.

Eventually arriving above ground, she bid her escort farewell and made her way over to one of the local dinar bathrooms which had been cleared out due to the vast military operation underway. Once there, the Fifth child removed her mask and hat, letting her short black hair fall down and her green eyes shine with tears, before finding herself vomiting and crying uncontrollably.

* * *

 _3:00pm, Saturday the 10th of June, 2017 AD, Union of Western Communist Republics, Socialist Russian Federation, Moscow, Kremlin_

The searing Russian summer sun bared down upon the Kremlin and its red square, causing the soldiers parading through it to sweat. But they were undeterred, this army so ruthlessly trained, still filled with pride from their victories in the so called "Euro-Russian war."

One by one, to the cheering crowds of the Russian people, regiments of the Red Army marched, crimson flags with the sickle and hammer proudly emblazoned upon them fluttering brilliantly. Unlike most parades however, the President was not present. Indeed some of his right hand men were overseeing this display of their country's power. For the man was indisposed, as he had, in his eyes, a far more important matter to attend to...

* * *

This building had seen so many government changes over the years. From the Tsar, to the Soviet Union, to the Federation, and now back to Communism's loving embrace.

Being summoned to the President's office could either be a very good thing or a very bad thing, which would cause most men to shiver at the possible outcome. But Vasily Ivanov, Warrant Officer of the 20th Guards Army, was beyond fear, and in some cases feeling itself.

It did amuse him at a subconscious level however, to see the sheer splendour of the Kremlin's gold and white encrusted walls, elaborate doors, and magnificent pictures, utterly clash with the very idea upon which his country, the Socialist Russian Federation, and the Union of Western Communist Republics in general, was founded. No man was above any other. All were equal, as set forth by the writings of Karl Marx.

But as always, hypocrisy was the nature of man.

In his standard issue dress uniform, dark green trousers, tunic, brimmed cap, and knee high black shiny boots, he stopped before the doors to the office, saluting upon being confronted by two guards.

"Comrade Ivanov. You are expected." A tall member of the Kremlin regiment in dark blue uniform, saluted in return, as did his fellow guard.

Despite being taller and of higher rank than the young man who stood before them, they couldn't help but be intimidated by how well built the blonde soldier was, and how his hazel eyes displayed not a single hint of emotion.

Lowering his hand and removing his standard issue cap, Vasily nodded and was then ushered in.

At the desk, with crimson flags hanging on the office's walls, with great portraits of communist heroes such as Lenin residing next to and in between them, sat the President of the Socialist Russian Federation.

Boris Flipov.

"Comrade Flipov." Vasily clicked his heels together and saluted, to which Boris gave an acknowledging nod.

"Ah, comrade Ivanov. Please take a seat."

Vasily briskly walked over and sat down, not at all intimidated by the bald and dark brown moustached man who ruled his homeland with an iron fist. A man said to be more brutal, cruel, and savage than even Princeps Henry Abrams himself.

And he knew all too well, despite what the propaganda said, every single story about this man was probably true.

Having sat down, he placed his cap on his lap, and folded his hands awaiting to hear whatever the President wanted to say.

"I wish for your thoughts on the event which occurred last Thursday." The most powerful man in Russia, laced his fingers together and leaned back in his chair.

"There is little to say, comrade Flipov. From what the reports say, and the fact the world didn't explode, the enemy was engaged and defeated."

"Ah, but you see there is." Boris pushed a button in his desk. A hologram flickered into life, displaying humanity's first true battle with a mighty Seraph. Upon the contest of brute strength's completion, the President turned his gaze back to sixth Child, and rested his head upon his hand.

"Well?"

"I was under the impression the Pilot was inexperienced?" Vasily said.

"Your impression would be correct."

The boy's expression remained blank, but as a man who'd beheld the his _training_ , the President was quite aware of what Vasily putting his _thinking cap_ on looked like.

"If that is the case, then how did he make an Evangelion perform like an experienced soldier?"

Boris exhaled ever so slightly before placing both his hands back on his desk.

"We do not know, comrade Ivanov. What we do know is NERV has a lot of secrets. Too many secrets. And an organization that refuses to tell us how machines can start bleeding, or how a Pilot with no training can defeat the enemy, is most certainly not an ally. In a few months time, with Unit 05 fully operational we shall deploy you to Japan onboard the K-219. And when you are there, I am ordering you to maintain constant vigilance until the Seraphim are defeated, and follow, Supreme Commander Ikari's orders only if you deem them adequate. You are there to fight for mother Russia, not for NERV."

"Understood, comrade Flipov."

The President sighed, then folded his hands and rested his old head upon them, his eyes gazing down upon the immense amount of paperwork he'd be attending to.

"I despise that Japanese upstart. He isn't even a head of state or a government official. He's...head of a private sector that didn't even exist before the Second Impact...to be commanded by such Capitalist scum...as if I am his inferior!" He glowered before remaking eye contact with Vasily's blank expression.

"That will be all. I believe you have a day of leave today?"

"That is correct, comrade Flipov. NERV Moscow has no use for me at this moment." The Russian boy with blonde hair fastened his cap back on his head.

"What do you plan on doing?" Boris said as he pulled out a sheet of paper from his desk and started writing on it.

"I intended to eat at a restaurant." Vasily said bluntly, as the President finished writing and put his own personal stamp on the document, before handing it to the young Warrant Officer.

"This is a presidential mandate for you to use any site of leisure within this city for free. Go and enjoy your day."

"My thanks, comrade Flipov." Vasily stood up, saluted, then began to walk out of the room.

"Ivanov." The President's voice caused him to stop mid-step.

"You are a soldier of the motherland, and therefore you represent it to the international community. Do not let yourself be out shined by Imperial, Federal, European, or Japanese pigs. Russia, Communism, and the Union of Western Communist Republics, cannot afford to be sidelined. And if you should deem any of the other Evangelion Units, or NERV itself to be a threat to national security..." He let that hang for a few seconds.

"You will do what is necessary."

"I will do my patriotic duty to mother Russia, comrade Flipov. Without question."

"Excellent. Good day."

Vasily turned away and walked out of the office, already dwelling upon the thought of crushing Shinji Ikari's throat.

 _I will do as I am commanded. To serve the motherland is my_ _ **only**_ _purpose._

* * *

 _11:00am, People's Republics of Asia, People's Republic of China, NERV Beijing, sparring area_

He strikes like a viper, swift and deadly, with a good jab to his partner's face. Unfortunately for him, she is much quicker.

The fist is caught, and an elbow is driven into Liu Zhou's nose, causing a slight trickle of blood to leak from his nostrils. Dazed, a leg hooks around his own and sure enough his balance fails him, causing him to collapse on the mat beneath him.

He groaned in pain, wiping the blood away with his sleeve before lying there for a few moments.

"Are you alright?" His partner gets down on one knee and places her hand upon his shoulder.

"I'd forgotten how much better at this you were than me..." Zhou grumbled before slowly sitting up, whilst his sparring partner, Junior Lieutenant Kim Hye of the Korean People's Army, simply laughed.

"Honestly, Zhou, you're getting slow these days." Clasping his hand, the Korean girl pulled the Chinese boy off the floor.

"Ready to go again?"

"I suppose I don't really have a choice..."

The second bout lasted a good deal longer, but once again she was far quicker and more flexible, resulting in the People's Liberation Army Captain getting _knocked on his arse_ again.

And again.

And again.

After at least eight bouts, Zhou was quite exhausted whilst his partner was still behaving as if her legs were made of springs.

Not that this surprised him. Those who'd grown up in the shadow of Kim Jong Il were a tough breed. The life the People's Republics of Asia provided them wasn't the greatest, but it was an age of plenty for the former citizens of the People's Democratic Republic of North Korea. Their South Korean brethren however...well that was a different story. It would be apt to say they did not enjoy being part of a united communist Korea. But Beijing commanded it, and its word must be obeyed as the many peoples of Asia had learned. Usually through the baton of riot police or the edge of a bayonet.

Hye's hands found their way to her hips as she tilted her head with amusement.

"Tired already? it wasn't too long ago that we could do this for hours."

"We're not as young as we once were eh?" He ran a hand through his mop of short black hair.

"Zhou...we're both sixteen."

"In this age, my love, that is old." He smiled sheepishly as she placed her face only a few inches from his own.

"Oh are you turning your charm on, Liu Zhou? We both know you are no good at that..." And then her lips were on his for a few seconds before drawing back.

"But it will do." She chuckled, before taking hold of her boyfriend's arm and tugging him towards the changing rooms.

"You go and put your uniform on. I'll meet you back outside in a few minutes." She smiled at him before walking off.

Zhou found himself standing there for a while with a blushing face, knowing full well the NERV "Section Sixes" were probably laughing their socks off whilst looking through the security cameras in the room.

 _Perverted swine..._

It took five minutes for him to slip out of his martial arts clothing and back into his PLA uniform. Of course, Hye was already waiting for him in her own uniform, her arms folded.

"And there I was thinking something had happened to you." Her lips curled into a smile before she took his hand in her own.

They did this a great deal, simply walking together. Enjoying each other's company, as they had done for at least two years now. Before that...well, the two had friends in the respective armies to which they were attached, but nothing came close to the bond they had now.

Eventually, their root took them up to NERV Beijing's roof, giving them a wondrous view of the smog filled skyline of the Chinese capital city.

Fortunately, with the discovery of the A-T fields, the invention of S2 engines, and the inexhaustible clean energy which came with it, the pollution of Beijing in 2017 did not require a mask to breathe. Nevertheless, Communist party officials said it would take years for all the smog to be cleared.

The two sat down on one of the compartments at the top of NERV Beijing's sky scraper, a compartment that was nowhere near the edge. Which was fortunate for Zhou, as he wasn't fond of heights.

"How has training been going for you?" Hye's grey eyes met his brown ones as she squeezed his hand a little.

"Not bad. Since they selected me as the Seventh child, all NERV's made me do is synch testing."

"Synch testing? You must be bored out of your mind, Zhou..."

"No...I've never been bored inside Unit 06."

"Yes I know, _it feels warm_ in there. I don't know why you think that, it's freezing for me."

She'd always hated it, and it was personally disturbing that _her man_ rather liked it inside the monster. Speaking of _monsters_ , her hand began to squeeze Zhou's a little more, as her other hand started to nervously fiddle with a nail in the compartment they were sitting on.

 _That_ _ **thing**_ _I saw on the news...that awful monstrous thing! It walked through the Japanese defence lines as if they weren't even there. And soon...they will send my Zhou off to fight..._

Hye desperately hoped NERV was wrong, that President Cao Xu was right and there was only one Seraph, and this boy who'd pulled her out of the worst days of her life, as she did for him, would not have to go and fight. But her gut said much worse was on the way, and her instincts were rarely wrong. They'd been right about the fall of the Kim regime, the death of her parents, the failure of the invasion of Japan, and now probably this.

 _Please come home for me, you promised I wouldn't be alone again..._

"Hye, what's the matter?" He said in an alarmed tone as the object of his affection's eyes began to water up.

"I-It's nothing..."

"I'm a soldier, Hye, just like you. I have to go and fight, it's my duty. To China, the People's Republics of Asia-" Hye found her chin being cupped, forcing eye contact between the two.

"-and to you."

The kiss lasted for quite a while, until eventually the two had to draw back for fear of suffocating.

Using his finger, Zhou gently wiped away Hye's tears and smiled.

"I will come back, I swear. I will **live** for you." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into an embrace, her head resting upon his own shoulder.

"Thank you."

The two sat on the roof for a few minutes, basking in each other's company and warmth.

"Anyway, I'm not leaving for months yet. Want to get something to eat and talk about something a bit less depressing?" He squeezed the light of his life.

"As long as you're paying."

"Honestly, Hye how could you? Pilfering the pockets of a poor innocent Captain." His smile turned into a grimace, as by her standards she _gently_ elbowed him in the ribs.

"An extortionately well paid one. Which is lucky because we are binge eating tonight."

"You are going to eat me out of house and home!" Zhou said over dramatically, eliciting laughter from his girlfriend for a few moments, before she quietened, as a thought came to her. A thought of something she'd wanted to do for quite a while now.

"Well...we could always eat in my apartment." She whispered into his ear.

"Eh? But yours is smaller than mine..." He stopped dead in his track as his cheeks were filled with red.

"Are...are you...are you sure?"

"We've been together for two years now, Zhou. I love you, I know for sure. And besides..." Hye lifted her head up, so she could look into the deep brown eyes of the Seventh child.

"What sort of girl am I if I let my long term boyfriend die a virgin?"


	11. 3:1 The morning

_"Give me the 6th Legion, and I'll give you Central America as a gift for foundation day."  
_

 _ **Legate Gregory Johnson to Princeps Henry Abrams, September 1st 2012**_

* * *

 _8:01am, Monday the 19th of June, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, NERV quarters._

The only thing moving through the apartment at this time of day was himself.

Pen-pen was still fast asleep inside his refrigerated paradise, and the tell tale signs of discarded clothing leading to Misato's room, being all Shinji needed to know of his guardian's status.

As per his now functioning routine, the meek sixteen year old started collecting the pieces of scattered garments whilst occasionally blushing with embarrassment upon picking up a bra or pants, before piling them up near the washing machine. Usually he would have thrown them straight in, but he found a great deal of his time was absorbed by a new experience for him.

School.

His teacher had home educated him for most of his life, so he never went to school. There were distant memories of a pre-school he attended back when mother was alive, but they were foggy at best.

He'd been taken aback by the sheer amount he was being taught, as his teacher had only ever educated him on Maths, Japanese and a small amount of English, or _High Imperial_ as the Empire insisted on calling it. But at this school, _Sengokuhara high school_ , he was learning about other languages, such as Russian, German, Federal English, and of course the hated but very much important Chinese.

This on top of every other subject any school worth its salt would teach, should have been overwhelming to him.

But it wasn't.

Shinji liked it, as it turned out he had an aptitude for discovery and learning, especially on Monday's such as this. Because the primary topic taught that day was history, specifically that of the past seventeen years.

And it was this in particular he loved.

A sudden warking caught his attention. The Penguin was awake, its beady black eyes staring straight at him.

"You can get food and drink yourself, I know you can." Shinji chastised.

The Penguin quietly and gently warked again.

Sighing, the boy walked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of beer, before taking it over to Pen-pen. Kneeling down, he handed the flightless bird the can, with the bird taking said can with its opposable wing. It warked softly again, giving his knee an affectionate rub, before going back into his fridge.

Shinji shook his head as he stood up. The bizarre creature had repeated this procedure every single day for the past few weeks. When he'd asked Misato about it, she'd laughed and said _"There isn't much to be done about it. Grumpy bastard always gets what he wants in the end."_

 _I don't think I'll ever understand this place._

But that was not to say he didn't like it here. In fact, he was beginning to prefer it to his previous apartment in Kure, sorry thing that it was. After teacher died he'd lived in it for two years by himself, so it was a strange sensation to not be alone again. But certainly not an unwelcome one.

Having attended to his _magnum opus_ of keeping the home clean, Shinji slid two slices of bread into the toaster and got some margarine out of the fridge. It was easier to get at today, as Misato had reached that point in the week when she started running out of beer cans. A few minutes later after the toast was ready, buttered, and eaten, he gathered his school things together and left them on the table. As he had just one more thing to do before setting off.

Gently, he tapped on Misato's door, getting a moan in response.

"Katsuragi-san?" He ventured.

"Uh...not so loud. I only got back from the night shift at five...come in..."

Stepping in, Shinji bore witness to a fully grown woman hiding beneath the sheets of her bed.

"Good morning, Katsuragi-san. Sorry to bother you but I'm heading off to school now. I've left your dirty washing by the washing machine, so you only have to put it in..." He stopped mid-sentence as the sheets were pulled back, Misato slowly sitting up whilst gently rubbing her eyes.

She nodded at his polite bow, whilst taking in how well her charge's navy blue high school uniform suited him.

 _My carer's come to visit me has he? Oh Shinji-kun, you're such a nice young man. Awkward but nice. How have you not got yourself a girl yet?_

"You aren't bothering me, Shinji-kun. Thanks for getting all **my** chores done." She chuckled, before continuing. "How's school going for you?"

"I'm...enjoying it."

"Good...good...you made any friends yet?"

"No."

Misato sighed as she rubbed the sleepy dust from her eyes.

"Don't worry, you'll make some soon. I promise."

"I'm sure I will." He forced a smile was contemplating how silly such a thing was.

 _How can anyone as useless as me have friends?_

"I'll let you rest." He bowed his head slightly before walking out of the room.

"Have a nice day...I'll try and have something like that...in a few hours..." Misato slipped back beneath the sheets with the inevitability of a sinking ship.

Smiling, Shinji closed the door.

 _She's so nice to me. I probably don't deserve any of it._

Picking his bag up and slinging it over his shoulder, he left the apartment through the front door, before closing it shut with his own key card. It had taken forever to get it, with him going from one NERV department to another.

Walking down the flights of stairs in the empty apartment block, as most of the residents were NERV staff and at work, he eventually found himself in the searing heat of the constant Japanese summer. It was at times like this he wished he didn't have to wear his long sleeved regulation school uniform, as nice as it was.

* * *

 _8:15am, residential district-9_

Seiichi Oshiro's eyes flickered open.

It had been more than a week before he and the rest of the Akuma crew were allowed to take their leave. But under pain of death they weren't permitted to leave the city, much to his Sergeant's frustration. Although Seiichi did sympathise with him, he didn't quite know his pain.

For whilst Kiyoshi had called his daughter and her carer, and Eiji had gone into the city centre to gamble and get drunk with the men, Seiichi had experienced an evening of pure ecstasy.

Mikasa Torogi's naked form lay curled up next to him under the sheets which covered them both, her fingers gently laid upon his chest.

She'd waited for him, like she'd promised. After hearing of the 1st armoured division's near annihilation, Mikasa had been sick with worry, only to receive a call from her boyfriend later that day confirming he was alive. And thus, as you can well imagine, their reunion had been rather...emotional.

"Mmmm..." Mikasa stirred, her hand moving down his chest.

"Morning, Princess." Seiichi smiled as he stroked back a strand of her black hair.

His girlfriend slowly lifted her upper half off the bed, her blue eyes making contact with his brown ones.

"Morning." She leaned in for a rather long kiss before drawing back.

"Did my pervert enjoy himself last night?"

"Yes...Spirits above I've missed this."

"Yes..." She gently moved her finger in a circular pattern on his chest whilst smiling fondly at memories of the previous night.

 _Oh I've got you wrapped around my little finger, Seiichi Oshiro. Although to be frank, I think I'm quite wrapped around yours as well..._

"Well, as we're both not quite awake, I think we could do with some adrenaline..." She laughed at her boyfriend's blush before leaning in for another kiss.

A sudden banging on the door killed the mood.

"What the...?" Mikasa scowled before getting out of bed and wrapping a dressing gown around her slender form, before walking off to her apartment door. As you can imagine, this did not help Seiichi with his blushing issue whatsoever.

Realising his rather night was over, the twenty-seven year old tank gunner sat up and massaged his face, before finding a dressing gown himself. Walking out into the small hallway, he almost bumped into Mikasa as she seemed to be coming back to the bedroom, which momentarily got his hopes up.

But the curious look on her face killed that hope instantly.

"There's a guy in State Army uniform at the door, says he's looking for you...quite rudely..." She titled her head when her boyfriend groaned in annoyance.

"Fuck's sake..." Not getting an answer from him, she stood aside and let him walk past her to the front door. Looking through the hole, he groaned again before unlocking the door and letting the intruder upon their peaceful morning hobble in on a cybernetic limb.

"Took your fucking time..." Eiji Fukui rubbed his head as he moaned in pain.

"Eiji...what...the hell...are you doing here?"

"I couldn't get hold of any fucking pills last night so I've got this thudding fucking head ache and I need your help man!"

"So basically you have a hangover...you _baka_."

"Eiji? As in the legendary Eiji Fukui?" Mikasa raised an eyebrow at the hungover soldier.

"Who wants to know..." The pain in his head momentarily subsided as his face brightened in realisation.

"Oh so **you're** Mikasa? By the heavens you're a pretty thing aren't you..." Having stepped in her direction, the pain returned to Eiji's head causing him to stumble, with Seiichi having to hold him upright.

"Sorry, Fukui-san, I'm already taken." She sent a quick smile in Seiichi's direction before turning away.

"I'm going to have a shower. There's some pills in the cupboard, just make sure he takes water with them!" Her voice became more and more muffled before the bathroom door closed behind her.

For once in that home, the lock clicked into place.

"Isn't she nice..." Eiji kept looking in the direction through which Mikasa had left with a smile, as his mind filled with thoughts of that silky dressing gown just slipping off her curvaceous young body...

A back of the hand from Seiichi stopped this immediately.

"Spirits, I was having a nice time."

* * *

 _8:45 am, Pacific Ocean, Challenger Deep_

There should have been no light within the deepest place on Earth. No creatures measuring roughly one-hundred and eighty metres in length should have been able to cruise through the black depths. But both these things were real.

Like a tear in both this dimension and the next, a glowing crack in the ocean floor spewed out orange energy that hardly any instruments on Earth could read. And what currently hovered above it, would be difficult for most of the Planet's people to comprehend. An insect like creature, with a bulbous arrow like head attached to its slim and dagger like body, gently began to put distance between itself and the crack having no intention to return there.

For if he was successful, which of course the arrogant Heir assumed, then he would have no need of even going back through that rift in the universe to get home, for home would instead come to him.

 **The Oceans were never this deep in our age...what was it Haniel said? That Ejrod broke into seven great pieces, separated by many leagues of water? Hah, Gahgiel would be in his element...**

The Divine Heir suddenly stopped and watched a bizarre creature , even by his own people's standards, swim past his head. It had some sort of light on the end of an appendage attached to its hideous face, illuminating its proportionately large jaws and eyes.

It is what we would call, an _Angler fish_.

But of course Shamshel, second son of the Divine Sovereign, known to the few men that knew as the "5th Seraph," had no idea what it was.

 **Peculiar...**

As he rose from the seabed, with even the rift being obscured by unending black, he began to see more of the inhabitants of the deep ocean, such as glowing jellyfish and other strange creatures.

 **There was...never anything like this back in our age. Our seas did not have that much life in them. Still...I would say this is quite pretty.**

He ascended past these things, using his wall of light to gently push them aside.

Shamshel may have enjoyed inflicting suffering upon others, but not on animals which didn't know any better, not like his bastard of a half brother Arael. Besides, upon his impending victory, Gahghiel would be most displeased if any of the Water life came to harm.

Upon that thought, the Seraph let loose a great telepathic sigh.

 **Great, Haamma above! Destroying the restriction will be child's play compared to dragging my brother out of these depths, Gods he's going to be here forever!**

The Seraph stopped its inner whinging and kept ascending, bringing his unfathomably ancient mind to the task at hand.

 **One step at a time. First I must obliterate the restriction so my siblings and the Royal army may sweep over all Ejrod and return it to my Father's rule. And then, with a little luck...**

At that moment, if he'd been in his true form, Shamshel's features would have contorted into a terrifying scowl.

 **I will avenge you, Sachiel.**

* * *

 _9:00am, Tokyo-3, Sengokuhara high school._

Front row, second seat. That was where he would sit for six hours every single day of the week, save for Saturdays and Sundays.

His class was meant to be made up of some thirty students, but owing to the recent _gargantuan monster cutting into the heart of one of the world's most powerful nations with relative ease_ thing, eight of them were not present.

Shinji hadn't expected that many to leave, as his people were stubborn on the whole idea of _we have lost two capital cities already, we won't lose this one_.

To be honest, although he was something of a wimp, he didn't really disagree with such sentiment. But right now, he wasn't dwelling on such things as he had his earphones jammed in, pleasantly humming ode to joy as quietly as possible.

Having arrived some fifteen minutes before after a ten minute walk and a half hour metro journey, he'd already put all his belongings in their proper place and thus could take time to relax, while his classmates would arrive, unload their pens and note books, and babble about whatever inane gossip that would be the topic of conversation for the day.

That was one of the few things Shinji didn't overly like about being around people.

They talked too much, **and for no good reason**.

The only person who didn't do that, unfortunately didn't say much to begin with however.

Over in her corner, all by herself as usual, sat Rei Ayanami. A person who could be regarded as his sister.

She still seemed injured from whatever the hell had occurred that other day, with bandages around her head and arm. A flash black to her hissing in agony whilst he'd held her all those weeks ago, made him metaphorically grimace. He still hadn't figured out what on Earth he was going to do with her, having not exchanged a word with the albino since their _chat_ in the hospital. He got the most occasional of acknowledgements from her, but that was it.

Although he did understand it was nothing personal, as Rei didn't talk to anyone unless spoken to.

However, when their tutor questioned her during lessons, she'd proven herself to be something of a genius, answering everything thrown at her. And yet for all that she could not talk to others.

A part of Shinji was humoured by finding someone with worse people skills than him. But that part was totally overshadowed by the sadness he felt.

She seemed so alone, and although it didn't seem to bother her, it scratched at his spine like nothing else. He wanted to try and help her, somehow, but he just had no clue how to do it. He may have more people skills than her, but that wasn't saying much.

 _I've got to figure that out someday..._

It was less than a moment after the door scraped open, the command to _rise_ was barked.

Shinji obeyed, as he knew disobeying the _pig tailed dictator_ Hikari Horaki, warranted certain death. In other words he'd been so engrossed by his walkman, he hadn't heard her command one time and got smacked on the back of the head by that book she carried around.

From that experience, he'd learned quite the lesson.

 _Don't ask any questions, just for the love of the Spirits,_ _ **obey**_ _._

The other commands to _bow_ and _sit_ were given, before the tutor stood in front of his desk, arms folded.

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning, sensei."

Shinji genuinely liked his tutor, despite the man at first glance appearing to be simply that, a boring old man. But the ever present twinkle in his eyes, and the sheer amount of energy he put into whatever they were being taught, honestly made the young man take notice of him.

In fact it could be said Mr Sisata was the reason he actually enjoyed education.

"Right, class, if you would all be kind enough to get out your books and turn to page 490. Today we are moving on from the birth of the North American Federation, to our new topic for the next three weeks. And this will be the ascension of Imperial Britain. Now if I could ask you to get out your pens and paper out, we shall begin." Mr Sisata patiently waited for those who'd been talking far too much, to frantically yank out their things from their bags.

Once everyone was ready to begin the day, Sisata clapped his hands together.

"All ready then? Good, we'll start with the fall of the _Blair and New Labour administration_ in the year 2000..."


	12. 3:2 School

_9:00am, residential district 9_

 _She never spends this long in the shower. Jeez, what a way to have the mood killed._ Seiichi grumbled.

He only had today until he went back on duty, therefore he wished to have as much time as humanly possibly with the woman he loved. And now, any hope of a peaceful day had been wrecked by this **fuck nut**.

Eiji contentedly sat at the small table, sipping his glass of water and seemingly oblivious to the issues he caused. Of course, he was probably aware and enjoying every damned of it. The tablet had done its work within minutes, so the Akuma driver was now capable of not collapsing on the floor and whimpering whenever a noise was made. Unfortunately that meant he could go back to being his usual crude self.

Seiichi had got himself dressed, having tiredly ironed out the creases in the uniform that had been torn off the previous evening. His black hair was still a ruffled mess, due to the hands which had been through it last night...

"You know...this is a nice place." Eiji peered around, not being used to a residence as comfortable as this. When not on duty, he did have an army apartment back in Kure into which he was stuffed. It was incredibly cramped and basic compared to this place.

But that was to be expected, this was the capital after all.

Seiichi grunted in acknowledgement, looking into the hallway again, still waiting for Mikasa.

Unfortunately, Eiji caught onto this and grinned.

"Can't take your eyes off her can you?" He chuckled before continuing. "She is rather ravishing. You lucky bastard, staring at those legs must never get tiring..." Slumped back into his chair, his expression became one of total bliss as Seiichi started making his usual, albeit more quiet, threats.

 _Every night they're together, they make love. They're happy. I wish I could be like that..._

Bringing his attention back to the present, Eiji noticed Seiichi had stopped swearing and now looked totally bashful.

The reason for this, was Mikasa had walked back into the room dressed in a white shirt and skirt. Upon noticing her boyfriend in freshly ironed uniform, she'd commented on how handsome he looked, causing the shy soldier to blush furiously. Much to both of the lovers annoyance, Eiji was immensely humoured by this.

"Private lover boy, that is your name now!" He laughed, before falling silent quickly as Mikasa shot him a look that would send his Sergeant running for cover.

"Hell hath no fury eh?" Seiichi smirked at his humbled colleague.

"Shut up..."

"Well, as our morning has been disturbed-" She shot Eiji another look, causing the cantankerous git to sink further into his seat. "I quite like the idea of eating out today. I'm sure we can get breakfast somewhere. Besides, it's not like I get you out of _bed_ enough..." She planted a tender kiss on Seiichi's lips, completely ignoring Eiji looking at them both in a gone out manner.

"I'm still here you know. If you're getting it on I can fuck off..." His words were ignored.

 _How the hell did Seiichi pull a hottie like that? Lucky bastard, no matter how hard I try, of course the driver never gets the fucking girl!_

The two were still kissing.

 _Fuck's sake...kids these days..._

* * *

 _9:15am, Sengokuhara high school._

"Now then." Mr Sisata turned around to face his class. "Which one of you fine young ladies and gentlemen can tell me who founded the Empire?" His beady little eyes, swimming with intelligence scanned the room. "Aida-san, can you answer me that question?"

"Um...uh...Emperor Sebastian Vance?" "Aida" stammered, having been daydreaming.

"Not quite right, Aida-san. But if my students knew everything then I'd be out of a job." Sisata chuckled before he began writing on the classroom digital screen. "If you're going to refer to a British Emperor, then you will do so with _His Imperial Britannic Majesty_ , and nothing else. If you get that wrong in front of an Imperial, they might just pull your head off. Also, whilst Sebastian Vance did indeed found the Great British Empire, he was not Emperor at the time, and he did not do it alone. Horaki-san, could you elaborate on that for me?"

Standing up from her seat, Hikari cleared her throat, then began.

"The Great British Empire was founded on the 29th of May 2002. It's founding charter had the names of three men written on it. Sebastian Vance, Terrence Cromford, and Alexander Meadow. Vance was the Empire's first Grand High Marshal, with the other two being High Marshals. Cromford was Marshal of the infrastructure, and Meadow was Marshal of the Imperial Armed Forces. The very first Monarch of the Empire, was Her Imperial Britannic Majesty Elizabeth Windsor." She bowed her head, before sitting back down.

"Wonderful. See class, this is the result of a student who studies." His remark caused a few mumbles of "yes, sensei," and Hikari to shift uncomfortably.

For despite ruling with an iron fist, the class rep was a humble girl.

"Sebastian Vance became the Empire's second Monarch and first Emperor on the 19th of July 2005, a few days after a nuclear strike carried out by the North American Federation obliterated the then capital London, along with the entire House of Windsor." He kept scratching words of value on the screen, whilst some students, Shinji among them, felt pangs of sympathy for one of the most expansionist nations in recent history.

The children of Japan knew what it was to lose a capital to foreign attack.

"His reign was an incredibly short one, as he was...well _murdered_...by Federal special forces a week after his makeshift coronation. Ayanami-san, can you tell me why the Federation was so obsessed with the Empire's destruction?" The old man turned his head towards the albino girl sitting at her desk. "Because of your injuries, I'll forgive you for not standing."

Rei blankly nodded in response before beginning. And the moment she spoke, Shinji had to fight his sigh of nostalgia.

 _Oh Spirits, how I love to hear your voice._

"The North American Federation sees itself as the only nation with the right to rule the Earth. It already considered the fledgling _Union of Western Communist Republics_ a great threat to that ideology. They did not wish for another superpower to arise in the Western hemisphere, especially an expansionist one, lest it threaten Federal dominance."

Mr Sisata nodded approvingly.

"Very well put, Ayanami-san. Yes indeed, the Federation has always seen itself as the world's only rightful superpower, something inherited from the now defunct United States of America. Although unfortunately it seems Federal foreign policy is less _policing_ the world, and more along the lines of _ruling_ the world." He let that sink into his pupils before continuing. "Well, who can tell me the original name of the city that became the Empire's capital after London was destroyed." He quickly raised a hand as Hikari raised her own.

"You've already had a go, Horaki-san. Anyone else?" He peered around for a few moments, eventually becoming tempted to answer the himself.

But then the usually meek and quiet boy at the front of his class, gingerly raised his hand.

"Ah, Ikari-san. Enlighten us."

"Um...it was Bristol wasn't it? They wanted a new trade hub for all the stuff coming in from their overseas territories." A little part of the boy grimaced at his saying of _stuff_ , but his teacher nodded.

Shinji knew this from his time living in Kure. It was after all, the great port city of Japan. Therefore trade ships from across the planet would dock there, including Imperial vessels which had sailed from the port of Bristol.

"Very good, Ikari-san. The city that would become Leopard, the Imperial capital of Britain, was indeed called Bristol in times gone past. Now, who can tell me what Emperor Charles Vance's words were upon ascending the Imperial throne, and what his age was? Suzuhara-san, do answer." He directed at the large boy at the back.

The boy who always sat next to "Aida", who looked like he was the missing link between man and ape, sputtered in surprise before attempting to answer. It was strange to note on that day, the usually animated chattering between the two was silent. Instead, the big one was quiet. At times he'd looked like exploding, and at others he looked like he was on the verge of crying, with the Aida, or "the class geek," having to comfort him.

Not only did this break many of the social norms he'd observed at this place, but it seemed out of character. Clearly something unpleasant had happened.

But he wasn't fussed. He didn't know the boy and probably never would. For Shinji merely observed his fellow man, not usually interacting with them. Mostly because he didn't feel capable of it. Partially because he didn't feel he deserved it.

"I...uh...um... _Hail Britain_? Wasn't he like...eighteen or something?" Suzuhara managed an even more desperate smile than the one his friend pulled earlier.

The class laughed a little, Mr Sisata chuckling with them. He knew it was a hard question, but it was important to boost his students knowledge whenever he could. And he alternated on whoever would be his hapless victim whenever he felt like giving a difficult question.

In short he struck ruthlessly and at random.

"Not quite, but a good attempt, Suzuhara-san. I recommend that you do some more research on the subject. In the meantime, you can find his full speech on the internet and I expect you to write it in your books."

The class let loose a groan of horror.

"In answer to my earlier question, Charles was only just your age when he ascended the throne. Fifteen years old..." Sisata's voice became twinged with a hint of sadness.

"I suppose that just shows age is no restriction on ability."

* * *

 _11:15am_

"Break!" Sisata clapped his hands together, resulting in the scraping of seats and the putting down of pens.

"Horaki-san, I'm going for my coffee break..." He began walking out of the room before giving the taller fifteen year old girl a smile.

"Do keep the troops in line would you?"

" _Hai_ , sensei."

Shinji slipped his ear phones back into his ears, the tune of _moonlight sonata_ soothing him. Another thing he liked about his tutor, was whilst the man worked them hard, he did give them plenty of breaks and never overloaded them with homework.

Speaking of the class, he mulled over the people he'd observed in this room for the past week or so. They had been welcoming enough, although he was still usually referred to as either _the new kid_ or _Ikari-san_ by them. The only time the class rep had ever referred to him directly was that incident when he'd had his earphones in for too long.

Indeed, Hikari Horaki was called the _pig tailed dictator_ with very good reason. She commanded authority without trying, and exerted it a great deal. But, according to the older hands in this class, she was certainly not unfair.

Shinji had personally yet to see proof, but he took them at their word.

The two to his right and rear, the geek and the jock, had apparently been friends for most of their lives. As in since they were toddlers. It came as no surprise to him, socially stunted as he was, they were called _the odd couple._ And they really were odd, with Kensuke Aida being a meek and wimpy geek with sandy hair, freckled face, and glasses, who was obsessed with the _military sci-fi_ genre, and Toji Suzuhara being a muscled and foul tempered jock with black hair.

It seemed that might just have been a front, as Toji had never lost his temper with Kensuke, well, not yet as seen by Shinji. And according to, once again, the older hands, he'd never laid a finger on him.

Taking his thoughts away from them, the brown haired boy started mulling over Rei again.

He **really** needed to come up with some way of breaking the ice between them if he even wished to befriend, let alone help her.

 _I don't usually do this much thinking. Damn, how badly did the fight with that..._ _ **Seraph**_ _...thing shake me up?_

A sudden beeping on his monitor caught his attention. All desks in the class had inbuilt touchscreen computers, with which students could browse the internet for research or send messages between one another. In this case, it would seem he had a message in his inbox.

Putting his finger on the mail box symbol, he opened whatever he'd been sent.

It wasn't much, only a few words. But they did make an eyebrow rise.

 _People are saying you're an Evangelion pilot. Is that true?_

 _Yes/No?_

He was stumped for a while, his mind trying to recall any point where he was told his role as an Eva pilot was classified.

But he could find nothing, even in that _synch test_ and simulation he did the other day, where he was walked through everything he needed to know about the huge purple monster which had been dropped into his lap.

Thinking he would have been told by now all the things he couldn't talk about, and having honesty beaten into him from an early age, Shinji exhaled, typed _yes_ into the chat box and hit the _send_ button. When the class collectively gasped, the boy realised the conversation he'd had was on the class chat, not a private network.

 _Oh shit._

Whilst most of the class surged over to the unfortunate Shinji, Kensuke and Toji sat where they were and watched.

The geek was running through the many millions of questions he'd have for the new guy, but the one part of him that wasn't giddy with excitement chastised him.

 _Seriously, buddy, whatever he knows is probably classified. We aren't getting much out of him anytime soon. After all, he is the pilot of a war machine the world only found out about a few weeks ago._

Annoyed by the fact common sense had ruined his fun, Kensuke looked at his friend, and suddenly felt uneasy. For the larger boy who worked out with weights, had fixed his gaze on the newcomer with narrowed eyes and twitching nose.

"I'll kill him."

* * *

 _12:00pm, NERV quarters._

Misato had never been a person to _leap_ out of bed. In fact, if she could have her way, the woman would try to remain in the land of slumber for all eternity.

Alas, Pen-pen had a thing or two to say about that...

So she sat at the kitchen table in whatever clothes she'd kept on before throwing herself under the sheets last night, unkempt purple hair spilling down over her shoulders. Great dark circles were clear for all to see under her eyes, whilst she rubbed her now red and bruised nose occasionally, having been _savaged_ by the Penguin.

On the other side of the table, stood Pen-pen, his beady eyes watching her every move whilst she mournfully shovelled breakfast cereal into her mouth. On the mornings she didn't get up on time, the bird would always do this. Get her up and get her ready to face the day. Whilst many would be scratching their heads at this display of mastery over a person by a flightless bird, one must understand these things happen when said bird is experimented on and has its intelligence boosted **immensely**.

Finishing her bowl, Misato leaned back into her seat and sighed. She then grimaced upon hearing a quiet yet threatening wark.

"Oh come on Pen...just five more minutes..." She moaned as the warking got louder.

"You're a damned dictator, you know that?" Removing herself from the surprisingly comfortable wooden chair, Misato began trudging over to the bathroom to have a shower.

She couldn't help but smile though when Pen-pen made a few warks of satisfaction, before he padded back off into his fridge.

Having washed away her drowsiness with a warm shower, Misato began clothing herself. Today was an average day at NERV, therefore she would put her uniform on. As her role was rather unique, Misato's uniform had been designed to her specification. There was of course the classic white trousers with red stripes going up the side, with black knee high boots. But from the waste up, that's were the similarities ended.

Firstly, she had a crystal white shirt, upon which she would put a button upped red military shirt with a black neck tie. Of course the jacket had NERV's classic black cuffs, and insignia on the shoulder. Upon sliding her red beret on top of her head, Misato looked into her bedroom mirror, making sure everything was in place. Including the holster for her Hitokuchi.

Unlike the party dress she'd worn when first picking up Shinji, this was a soldier's uniform, and she slid into it perfectly.

She had decided not to wear her cross that day, as to be frank it wasn't something she did all the time. It was a reminder, not a garment after all.

But still, as always with her morning routine, Misato picked up a very old picture with the date on it being 1995. There she was, a little girl with black hair being held by her loving mother, with a distant father standing next to them.

A cross around his neck.

 _...would you be proud of me now?_

Gently setting it back down on her dresser, the only part of her room she kept tidy, Misato walked back out into her lounge and slumped down on the sofa.

Turning her television on, she flicked through all the various crap that was on it these days.

Fortunately there was one of the Studio Ghibli films on as they were advocated by the Defence Board, _cultural importance_ and all that, so she watched that for a while, with Pen-pen eventually coming back out of his fridge and snuggling up to her. Unfortunately, their peace was interrupted by her mobile ringing. Harrumphing, the purplehead had to push Pen-pen off her lap so as to reach the phone in her pocket. He warked in a disgruntled manner, with his _pet_ giving a swift look of apology.

With the phone flashing up with _Rits-chan,_ Misato pressed the answer button and held it to her ear.

"Please tell me I'm not being called in, I've still got another four hours." She groaned, hearing her friend chuckle on the other end.

 _"Hey, don't I get an opportunity to chat with my old college room mate?"_ Ritsuko used her shoulder to keep the phone to her ear as she stood on the observation deck, her hands occupied with sheets of data from the synch test they'd done a few days ago.

"Out with it, Rits-chan, what do you want?"

 _"How's Ikari-san doing? Apparently he started school last week?"_

"He did. I...I think he's enjoying it, and his grades are good, but no friends yet. Or at least I think."

 _"That doesn't come as much of a surprise. I read his file last night, he hasn't even been near a school in twelve years. Apparently, the kid was educated at home. By a friend of the family by the sounds of it..."_

The file had been correct, but also **very** vague. Why he was kept out of education and interaction with fellow human beings for so very long, was a mystery to Ritsuko.

"He...he never said anything about that. Jeez, how weird must all this be to him?" Misato said in disbelief.

 _"Incredibly. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't even start talking to other students for weeks. Well...maybe Ayanami-san but that's sort of different."_

Before she could even respond, the Sub Commander sighed.

 _"Oh well, at least he's doing alright. On a lighter note, want to go out for drinks on Saturday? It's a day off for both of us, and we don't do it enough."_ Ritsuko had switched to her _earnest_ mode, one that was difficult to pick up even if you knew her.

"Sounds good. Usual place, 12ish?"

A few years ago, this wouldn't have been possible. Back then, Ritsuko was getting fucked every other night by Commander Ikari, a relationship which she was totally ashamed of these days. Despite a great deal of psychological damage being caused, enough to prevent her from ever forming a relationship again, Misato could tell her friend was happier these days, after leaving that creep some two years ago.

 _"That's fine-"_ Ritsuko's voice was cut off by the blaring of alarms in NERV central. An alarm she knew practically off by heart.

 _"Shit. It's a code blue!"_ The line went dead.

By that point, NERV's combat operations director was already running to her door, slipping phone in pocket and fumbling for key card, with only one word going through her mind.

 _Seraphim!_

* * *

 _11:55am, Sengokuhara high school._

Despite the heat, Shinji liked this.

Standing out in the fresh air with no one to bother him, he closed his eyes and inhaled the humid air of which he wasn't very fond but all too used to. With the sun beating down on everything save the shade he was standing in, he'd stayed put for the past ten minutes. It would only be twenty more before he'd have to go back to lessons.

He'd noticed however, that whilst he'd walked out of the class room, no one else did. Instead they sat there and talked to one another. Now **there** was a concept far more alien to him than the Seraphim could ever be.

However, so focused on this simple interaction between human beings he was utterly incapable of, he'd failed to notice _the odd couple_ get up and slowly follow him out...

"Hey, new kid!" A gruff voice called out, causing him to turn and face its point of origin.

He wished he hadn't.

For at that moment, Toji Suzuhara was stomping towards him with nothing but murder in his eyes. The geek wasn't standing too far behind him, with a look of concerned nervousness on his face.

"H-hello. Can I help you?" Shinji felt every single one of his cowardly instincts yell at him to flee, but the jock's fist closing on his shirt put an end to that.

"Yeah, you can help me..." Toji snarled as he slammed his fist into the boy's gut. Gasping in pain, the Eva pilot felt himself being dropped on the floor, his head banging against the concrete putting stars in his eyes.

"Stand up, **baka**!" The jock yelled, snatching a tuft of Shinji's brown hair, hauling him to his disorientated feet. Another fist slammed into his mouth, leaving him with the taste of blood on his tongue. This wasn't as bad however, as he was used to this pain.

Collapsing on the ground again, sprawled on his back, he felt Toji's shoe stamp on his chest, causing him to cry out pain from the pressure of it.

"You feel that!? Now you know what it's like to get crushed you stupid bastard! This is how my sister felt when you collapsed her shelter!" The jock was practically screaming now, with Kensuke moving over to diffuse the situation, deeming it to have gone too far.

 _Spirits, Toji, you only said you were going to rough him up, not fucking kill him!_

But Shinji didn't notice any of that, as a few words he'd heard a few weeks ago rang in his ears like an artillery bombardment.

 _Damn right. Three hundred people were in that bunker, and they only pulled out one who was still breathing. A little girl if the news is right..._

"Your...sister?"

" **Yes my sister!** " Toji threw off Kensuke's attempts to restrain him and planted a kick into Shinji's already abused gut. " **Sakura Suzuhara** , my little sister! You nearly **killed her** and you'll be damned lucky if I don't do the same to you!"

"I'm sorry...I'm so so sorry..."

 _I hurt a little girl!_

"Sorry doesn't cut it you snivelling little **shit**!" Toji roared as Kensuke frantically restrained him.

"For, _Spirits'_ sake, Toji stop! Calm down...that's it...just calm down." Somehow, miraculously, the jock went limp in his weedy arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Come on, let's go. You okay down there, new kid?" Kensuke offered, with Shinji putting out a pained groan of "I'm fine."

"Sorry about all that. Toji here is usually soft as a teddy bear...but his sister means a lot to him. So...no hard feelings right?"The bespectacled boy said earnestly

Slowly rising to his feet, hand clutching his stomach, Shinji shook his head.

"No. I deserved it."

Had he not been wallowing in his own self loathing, he might have noticed a quick look of shock on the distressed Toji's face.

 _He's not even excusing himself..._

"Okay...see you around, Ikari-san. Come on, Toji, let's get something to eat." Kensuke looked at him, confused, before hauling his much larger friend off to elsewhere.

Noticing some blood dribble down his chin, Shinji wiped it away before turning back to face the sun. Only to be confronted with the red gaze of Rei Ayanami.

Leaping out of his skin, he fought to compose himself as the blue head stared at him.

"Ikari-san, you are bleeding." She stated.

"What? Oh! Oh it's nothing, really!" He frantically wiped away any and all evidence of the assault. Meanwhile she kept watching him. "Um...so...can I help you with anything...Ayanami-san?"

"There has been an emergency. We must report to NERV." She said before taking off, leaving the meek young man looking stumped.

"Emergency?" He said aloud, only to feel his heart plummet as sirens screamed across the city.

" _Attention citizens, attention citizens! A state of emergency has been declared in the Kanto and Chubu regions surrounding the Tokai district. All residents must evacuate to their designated shelters immediately. Garrison troops will assist with evacuations. All those who refuse will be forcibly moved to a safe location. This command will loop every fifteen minutes."_

"Oh...please no."


	13. 3:3 Shamshel, the butcher

_12:15 pm, NERV Central command bridge_

"Evacuations complete. All air traffic has been diverted to Osaka. All JSA units are on standby, and three Susanoo class FCVs, the Tsushima, Musashi, and Kaga, are maintaining low altitude above the city. Evangelion Unit 01 is prepared for launch, pilot is entering now." Maya informed her superior officer with unease.

No one had predicted the appearance of another Seraph, not this quickly. She and the other observation deckers had made bets on when the next one would turn up, with even Lieutenant Aoba, the most cynical of them, not thinking any would come for another month at least. Still, he was the closest to correct, therefore he won. He would likely be shuffling his ten thousand yen tonight with devious glee.

If he was still alive.

If **anyone** was alive.

"What is the Seraph's current position?" Misato said sternly.

"Enemy is currently at the outskirts of the city. JSA forces are ready to provide assistance, establishing visual contact now." Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga relayed in his shrill tone, text reflecting off his glasses.

The display screen flickered into life showing Shamshel, the 5th Seraph, hovering over the outskirts, eventually coming to a stop near the financial district.

"It's looking for us..." Ritsuko, who was standing to Misato's right, tried to hide her apprehension.

"Then it fights us on our terms." The purplehead growled.

Today was awful.

Right when she'd comforted herself with the thought of the next Seraph not coming for another few years, this **bastard** had arrived scarcely ten days after its predecessor. And to top it all off, Commander Ikari and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki had _disappeared_ off to Spirits know where, leaving just her and Ritsuko to handle one of the greatest threats humanity would ever face.

It was a shame Rei was still far too injured to realistically pilot Unit 00, but that was the way things were. It may have been a clone, but Rei was still a being of flesh and blood, and could be broken just as easily as anyone else.

"Pilot is in, initiating link!" Maya called out, as on her screen Shinji closed his eyes and tried to expand his mind, just like how he'd been taught a week or so before.

 _We've hardly had time to train him..._

Maya did honestly feel **miserable** over sending this poor boy out to fight to begin with. Granted it was apparently _necessary_ , but that didn't stop her waking up in the middle of the night covered in sweat soaked sheets, trying to shut out the hypothetical death screams of a child.

"Synch complete, holding at sixty percent. Evangelion Unit 01 is ready for launch."

Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi nodded her head.

 _Sorry Shinji-kun, we'll just have to train you more for the next one._

"Launch!"

* * *

 _12:20 pm, Tokyo-3, financial district_

 _ **Where are you, Vooren? Do you honestly think that cowering in the dirt will save you? No...I will flay your wretched form alive for all your people to see!**_

Shamshel surveyed the city below him, frustration growing in his blood thirsty heart.

He'd come here spoiling for a fight, one in which he would lay the whelp who by some miracle took his elder brother's life, low. A few memories of playing in the Palace gardens when they were young caused rage to join the frustration.

 _ **Show yourself!**_ A flair of orange energy rushed forward to an unluckily block of nearby houses, flattening them immediately.

With his anger growing every single second, the Seraph began to set his gaze upon the various forces of the JSA arrayed around the city. At the moment, they were looking like very tempting play things...

But then, he sensed a presence coming towards him from beneath the ground. A presence that radiated power on par with his own.

 _ **Finally.**_

If he could have, the Divine Heir would have smiled. And it would have grown broader the moment Evangelion Unit 01 arose from the ground in all its purple and white glory.

 _ **Impressive...but that horn is somewhat ridiculous. Oh well, it matters not. Your corpse will be a fine gift to throw at my Father's feet, ridiculous or otherwise.**_

* * *

 _Breath...breath...you can do this._ Shinji gently inhaled and exhaled with his eyes closed, before opening them. He felt like shifting uncomfortably in this new thing he was forced to wear called a _plug suit_.

Granted the colours of white and purple went together well to his eyes, but the skin tight and rubbery suit was rather itchy. However, showing an unusual amount of self control, he fought back the urge to scratch.

 _"Shinji-kun, we've provided you with a pallet rifle. Expand your A-T field then fill him up with lead."_ Misato added in a semi-serious manner, her expression on the video link being similar.

 _Expand A-T field and kill it._

" _Ryokai_!" Shinji responded before gripping the eighty feet long rapid fire WMD as tightly as he could.

He did hear the command, but it seemed his body hadn't. For the moment he set his eyes upon Shamshel, sheer terror gripped his heart.

Something felt different about this one. Shinji felt this thing had no concept of honour or decency, and its only wish was to kill him as messily and brutally as possible. And its gaze...its silent, unnerving, unmoving, and uncaring gaze, sent shivers down the young man's weak spine.

Instinctively, he levelled the pallet rifle at his foe and squeezed the trigger.

 _"Shinji-kun what are you doing!? Your rounds won't have any effect..."_ Misato's words came too late, for he'd used up all his ammunition, his fingers frantically squeezing the trigger to no effect, producing an unending clicking noise in the entry plug.

He could no longer see the Seraph, with it being shrouded in smoke. But not for long.

 _ **Well wasn't that anti climactic.**_

Gale force winds shredded the visual obstruction, as Shamshel expanded his A-T field. His power knocking down a few buildings as if they were but houses of cards, the Seraph would have narrowed his eyes if he was capable, upon gazing at the fool who dared challenge him.

 _ **By command of the Lord of Ash, and Sovereign of the Divine, I have come to claim your miserable life and subjugate your world. Whether you resist or not is irrelevant to the matter. Make peace with whatever Gods you worship, for even they shall not save you from my wrath. For I am Shamshel, second Heir of my father's realm, destroyer of the last free cities, ender of Fleilan civilisation, and the last thing your pathetic eyes shall ever witness!**_

He reared himself up to full height, tendrils of energy flicking through the air as orange lightening crackled around his form. His great shadow covered Unit 01, and what seemed like the world, in darkness.

 _ **Now...have at you, Voor scum!**_

Shinji stared at the thing which towered over him, sweat trickling down his forehead and cheeks. Although the liquid going down his cheeks, was far too cold to be sweat...

 _You idiot, you coward! Of course you could never do this, a pathetic little shit like you doing something useful is impossible!_

 _"Shinji-kun we've put up another rifle for you. Take it_ _ **now**_ _!"_

Somehow managing to overcome his terror, and forcing the Eva to move towards the indicator on his hud, he started breathing again.

 _Get the next one, try again, this isn't over yet..._

The Eva was fast, its powerful muscles being something he could feel. And considering how small he usually felt, he rather enjoyed the sensation of such strength and power. Strength and power the likes of which could level the Himalayas.

The rifle came into sight after only five seconds of running, which caused Shinji to breath a sigh of relief.

And then a beam of A-T field energy whistled past his ear and struck the rifle, igniting its ammunition and ripping the area it was located in apart.

 _ **Ranged weaponry? Those are the weapons of cowards, little Voor, I expected more from Sachiel's murderer. Nevertheless, the playing field is level now, and I have given you ample time to make the first move. So...shall we begin?**_

Shinji barely had time to turn around before the tendril whipped into his face. Feeling a searing sensation on his cheek as yet another burn mark was made on Unit 01's faceplate, he screamed as it felt like his skin was boiling.

And the sheer force of it knocked the Eva clean off its feet.

 _"Shinji-kun withdraw! The JSA will cover you!"_ Misato frantically barked, as yet another combat situation with the Seraphim went wrong.

Unlike his situation with the first Seraph, Shinji managed to make the Eva move by will alone. Scrambling backwards, it seemed like the monster was leering at him as it followed, swishing its tendrils of energy through the air, not even trying to hit him as if it were flexing its muscles. Eventually gaining enough traction to stand up, whilst the JSA's bombardment from both ground and air impacted harmlessly on Shamshel's A-T field, he urged Unit 01 into a run, only to feel his ankle bubble and boil as the Seraph wrapped a tendril around it, burning into his calf.

 _ **Voor...your lack of honour is astonishing.**_ The Divine would have laughed, as through his grip on the Eva's ankle, he lifted it off the floor, letting it dangle for a few moments, before slamming it back into the ground.

He repeated this act of sadism again and again whilst the JSA pounded him with all their might.

To no avail.

* * *

Meanwhile, within this _distracting_ force, the Akuma kept belching smoke and fire at a phenomenal rate like the rest of the Tokyo-3 garrison, the men of this army being aware of what was at stake.

And the crew of the Akuma, knowing well just how successful they'd be.

"Why do we even fucking bother!" Eiji yelled with despair upon seeing round after round harmlessly impact Shamshel's A-T field. Only explosions and flashes of orange lightning where indication they'd hit it.

"Because orders are orders! We've been told to advance and that's it." Kiyoshi grimaced.

"And that did us a whole lot of fucking good last time didn't it!?"

Seiichi blocked them both out, thinking only of how good his day had been before the alarms echoed across the city. He'd just been sitting in a nice cafe with his girlfriend, enjoying what precious little time he had with her. And then **this fucking thing** decided to show up.

The Yoroi type 2 battle tank, along with another hundred of its brethren, rumbled forward into their capital city, their powerful rail guns blasting away at Shamshel, in a desperate attempt to acquire its attention. However, it seemed the Divine Heir did not feel like obliging them.

Thousands of men could only watch in horror, as the Seraph, having appeared to exhausted all enjoyment from breaking Shinji's nose, lifted mankind's mightiest weapon into the air and tossed it into the nearby hills like a ragdoll.

"Heavens..."

* * *

 _12:19 pm, just outside shelter 59..._

Toji knew this was a horrible idea.

From the moment Kensuke had asked to speak with him about something, the jock had foreseen the suggestion of a terrible plan that could get them killed. And still he'd gone along with it, like an idiot.

So they'd slipped out of their bunker, right under the soon to be furious class rep's freckled nose. Now having witnessed the ongoing battle with his own eyes, he'd quickly felt his courage collapse.

The Seraph had tossed the purple titan which had risen so majestically from the ground like a rag doll, whilst utterly ignoring the combined fire of the Tokyo-3 defences. But of course Kensuke, being the military nut that he was, had been enjoying every second of it, gawking through his camera at the chaos unfolding before him.

Why the bespectacled wimp would ever want to be a soldier, Toji didn't know. And probably never would, for even his joyous expression had faded away the moment they beheld Unit 01 being flung towards them.

His mouth fell open, whilst Toji made a sort of strangled scream, half shriek of terror, half cursing his best friend's curiosity. But to be fair, had Pilot Shinji Ikari fallen in battle that day, no shelter would save them from the Seraph's triumph.

The Eva slammed into the hill, making the very earth beneath the boys shake as if struck by a meteor, its gargantuan arm only just missing them.

With the dust having settled, Kensuke started making noises of awe as he tried to get as much footage of the giant robot as possible, whilst Toji let loose a few shaken laughs of joy, as he punched his fists in the air whilst declaring _he was alive_.

That stopped when the shadow of an impossibly ancient Prince, soaked in the blood of thousands, blotted out the sun over them all.

 _ **You are nothing before me, Voor!**_

And with that, Shamshel set upon Unit 01 with what can only be described as venomous brutality.

 _Oh Spirits...oh Spirits..._ Shinji's subconscious muttered as every single single one of his instincts begged for him to bolt. His face felt even worse than it had earlier, when that "Toji" boy had beaten him to a pulp. In his panicked state, he blocked out Misato's orders as he could not take his gaze off the advancing Seraph.

However, unlike his previous fight, he would not wait for death to come and claim him.

As the tendrils rushed forward to slice him into sizzling pieces, he seized both of them with his hands, purple armour melting as he howled in pain but resolutely refused to let go, with the sheer strength of the Seraph making his arms burn with exertion.

 _ **You will be deafened by your own screams. I shall see to that...**_

Shamshel attempted to move his tendrils outwards, hoping to pull his opponent's arms off. But to his surprise, he found the Eva to be about as strong as himself.

Shinji was barely holding onto consciousness at this point, so great was his pain. His mouth was open in a silent scream, as he thrashed around in an attempt to get the Seraph off him, only to receive yet another slash across the face for his trouble.

With his head knocked onto its side, hissing in pain, the meek young man breathed hard for a few moments, his eyes clamped shut. Through great effort, he eventually reopened them...only to see two students with whom he was all too familiar, gawking at him.

 _Oh you have got to be_ _ **kidding me**_ _!_

They were directly next to him, in so close a proximity it was likely he'd crush them if he tried to fight off the Seraph.

 _I am_ _ **not**_ _killing anyone else_

Painful memories of what had become of three hundred innocent people came to mind. And thus he was stuck between getting eviscerated by a sadistic eldritch abomination, and being responsible for the deaths of two more innocents.

* * *

 _12:22 pm, NERV Central command bridge_

 _What the hell are they doing out of their bunker!?_

Misato's subconscious raged as she beheld the two students staring uselessly at the fight unfolding in front of them. Preventing mankind's ultimate weapon from fighting back for fear of hurting them.

 _Why can't anything go to plan just for once?_ Her eyebrows narrowed as her folded arms tightened.

She'd seen worse than this, much worse. She would not lose control, she would make do with what she had. As was to be expected of an Impact survivor.

"Link us into the JSA battle chatter. I want to speak to whoever is in command of those Sky ships." She commanded.

"Yes ma'am, doing it now!" Makato obeyed.

In a few moments, contact was established with the flagship of the battle group, HIJMS Tsushima, as its mighty main battery kept pounding their target. The video link showed a fifty something year old man, with greying dark red hair and beard.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Misato Katsuragi, NERV's Combat Operations Director, to whom am I speaking?"

 _"Captain Otamo Kirishima of the HIJMS Tsushima at your service. What do you need Lieutenant Colonel?"_ The Captain said in a gruff and hardened voice. Unsurprising from a veteran of Hoyo strait.

"We need you and your ships to concentrate your fire on one area, if you do that you might have an effect on the damn thing. We're sending you target coordinates now." The purplehead nodded at her subordinates.

The designated area picked was the Serpah's back. Perhaps they might catch it by surprise and even kill it, or at the very least distract it? She tried to cling to such notions as these, but one quick look at her _for today only_ subordinate, told her she was alone in that department. But Ritsuko had always been a pessimist, so it wasn't anything unusual.

There was only static for a while, before the Captain got back to them.

 _"Coordinates received. Firing at will!"_

* * *

 _12:25 pm, just outside shelter 59..._

The armament of a Susanoo class FCV is among the most formidable on the planet. Two massive rail guns, which unleashed pallet rounds that could tear through mountains, and obliterate incoming meteors. Four bow mounted missile launchers, coupled with another two situated just behind the bridge. Twelve, six-inch anti aircraft turrets, along with another twelve Anti Aircraft missile emplacements. Three N2 mines. A built into the bow positron cannon. And finally a compliment of fifty _Kaze_ class VTOLs, all being of the fighter bomber variant.

Any other foe would have crumbled before the might of the flying fortresses.

But not Shamshel.

Indeed, the only effect this mighty bombardment had, one which would have ground the world's greatest cities into dust, was the Seraph's A-T field being slightly dented, causing the strange being in question mild annoyance.

 _ **Wait for your turn, Vooren, I shall deal with you shortly.**_

He ignored them, as his confusion grew over why his opponent was simply trying to hold him in place instead of fighting back.

A few moments ago, the destroyer of the last free cities thought the purple demon was buying time for its cowardly comrades to attack him in his blind spot. But now, Shamshel thought there may be another reason for this lack of resistance. Having firmly pinned his opponent to the ground, despite the Eva's struggling, the Seraph began to take more notice of his surroundings.

And they made him very angry indeed.

Two little whelps sat beside the Eva's head, not moving through either fear or stupidity. His foe was not resisting out of fear of striking them. In short, they were denying him the fight he wanted.

Fear or stupidity...it mattered not what controlled their actions. They'd die for it nonetheless.

 _ **Shall I rid us of these distractions?**_ The tendrils surged towards Kensuke and Toji, with a mind to rip them limb from limb, with only Shinji holding on for dear life preventing them from being spattered across the surface of that hill.

" **Oh no you don't**!" The Eva pilot hissed in an uncharacteristically aggressive manner. Why he felt a desire to protect these people, one of whom was beating the snot out of him mere hours ago, was beyond him.

 _"Shinji-kun, eject your plug."_

"W-what?"

 _"Eject your plug, and get the civilians on board. They have got nowhere to go and they are in the way._ _ **Now do it**_ _."_

It took a few moments for the command to click in his head, but eventually Shinji started pressing the necessary buttons, and his plug slid out of Unit 01's back, not detaching but hanging out. Whilst the Eva held his enemy in place, he opened the side hatch and stared directly into the confused and frightened eyes of his fellow students.

"Get in!"

No response other than empty eyes.

" **Get in you stupid fuckers!** " Even he was taken aback by that sudden outburst. Perhaps it was frustration with them, or just the sheer amount of stress he'd had to deal with that day.

But it appeared to do the trick. The two started moving, and eventually managed to get into the plug with Shinji having to haul them in by himself. With his not very considerable strength.

These events unfolded while the Seraph looked on in a stunned manner.

 _ **A child? Sachiel, my brother, was felled by a child..?**_

The plug slotted back into the Eva's spine, a sudden barrier of orange lightening flashing into existence, creating a far greater force for the bloodthirsty Heir to try and overwhelm. The battle was not even near one sided anymore.

 _ **A child is doing this!?**_

Shamshel raged for a while at this injustice. That the gods had ordained for a pathetic child to be his opponent, and for said child to have been the murderer of his brother. But the Heir comforted himself.

 _ **The screams of children ripped from their mother's arms have always entertained me. But for your anguished last cries...I shall laugh.**_

* * *

Within the purple behemoth, Shinji desperately tried to keep his attention on the here and now, as his cockpit's other two inhabitants were making a great deal of noise. But it wasn't just the geek's babbling over his camera getting wet, or the jock freaking out over being able to breathe liquid.

He could understand those.

The real noise however...was like it didn't exist. Like it was a furious tidal wave of whispers. Weird words fluttered around in his head, such as _Mother_ , or _Sakura,_ before a sentence formed.

 _I'm scared._

Now every single one of his feelings were screaming at the boy to run, but he ignored them.

 _I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away..._

Slowly but surely, Shinji pushed against the Seraph, his arms shaking but undeniably pressing forward, angling his A-T field in such a manner it directly contended with that of his foe. Two walls of orange lightening surged and clashed together, sending sparks of energy flying outwards, vaporising chunks of hills and buildings. And then, so focused on overwhelming his enemy, Shamshel failed to take his rear into account.

A barrage of armour piercing high explosive pallet shells, slammed into his back. The Seraph's screech of rage and pain was a haunting alien howl that echoed across the city, causing soldiers to soil themselves, and civilians in their shelters far below to shiver.

 _ **Filth!**_

His hate, his rage, his cruelty, and his malice came forth from his black heart, as Shamshel quickly withdrew his left tendril from Unit 01's hand, and before the armoured creature could react, used all his strength to wrap his tendril around the Eva's right hand, and lashed outwards.

Being taken by surprise, Shinji found himself being violently thrown aside with what felt like a hot iron only now uncurling from his hand. He stopped rolling after a few moments, managing to regain control of the Eva and attempting to stand, whilst his _companions_ grunted and hissed in pain as they were thrown around.

"Sorry!" He called out, not quite sure why as there was little he could do about his passengers discomfort, before a bright orange light flashed in his direction, originating from his foe.

 _Oh Spirits...I've seen that before._ _ **Shit!**_

And thus a blast of pure power enveloped Unit 01, with Shinji only just being quick enough to throw all his effort into his A-T field, before the Eva was buried into yet another unfortunate hill. It seemed the Seraph War had a special prejudice against the city and surrounding landscape of Tokyo-3.

With the whelp out of the way, to be dealt with later at his pleasure, Shamshel turned to face the forces of the Japanese State Army and sneered.

 _ **You wish for your deaths to be violent? So be it. The only true question is which one of you dies first!**_

* * *

Stars were in his eyes, due to how badly he'd banged his head. A small amount of blood was even trickling from his nose, on top of all the minor burn marks he'd sustained due to the nature of his connection to the god machine. His slumped over form breathed shakily. At least until a hand was laid upon his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Said Toji, with a look of concern.

The timing of the Shinji's shrieks of pain had always coincided with whenever the _Seraph_ landed a blow on them, leading the jock to one conclusion.

 _You...feel its pain? Spirits...what must that be like?_

Lifting his head up, both of Unit 01's hitch-hikers could now see the red liquid flowing from their driver's nostril, and his dazed expression.

"I-I'm okay..." He whispered painfully before fully engaging his concentration on the situation at hand.

 _The Seraph...where is it?_

He didn't have to look very hard. Shamshel ripped into the frantically firing JSA forces like a tornado of death. With every swish or slash of his tendrils, dozens died.

And he relished in their screams.

 _ **Ah the carnage of battle, its glory can never be surpassed!**_

To the men of the JSA, it was a repeat of the battle with Sachiel.

Every single round harmlessly impacted the Seraph's A-T field. The soldiers of Japan, as brave as they were, lay helpless before the might of a Divine Heir. And they would pay for their doubtlessly courageous sacrifice with their lives.

"Spirits..." Kensuke muttered in a horrified tone, as Shinji's mind returned to the fires of Fukuyama some twelve years before.

* * *

 _"Save yourself kid! Run, just fucking run!" A soldier calls out, before his head explodes from the impact of a bullet._

 _Gunfire, gunfire all around him. The sky is filled with smoke yet is somehow a hellish orange colour. Everything is burning, everything is dying._

 _But the four year old boy does as he is told and runs as fast as his little legs will carry him. So focused on fleeing, he does not notice the Chinese soldier level his weapon at him, nor said trooper's commanding officer grabbing the barrel and pulling just as the shot is fired._

 _The orphaned child finds a hole to hide in, covered in debris, and squeezes in, sobbing uncontrollably._

 _He hid there for many hours, before the sound of his shelter being pulled apart caused him to curl into an even tighter ball._

 _Light shines through a crack upon him, swiftly blocked out by the shadow of a tall, crouched man._ _A man in blue uniform and grey armour._

 _"Holy shit..." He mutters in surprise before placing a hand on the child's shoulder. The brown haired boy shrinks away, before the soldier cups his chin and forces eye contact._

 _"Hey...it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you, you're safe now." The soldier smiles as he gently takes Shinji's hand and begins to pull him onto his stubby legs._

 _The boy in question experiencing the first act of true kindness shown to him since the death of his mother..._

* * *

 _"Shinji-kun...retreat."_

The boy's brain had images of blue coated men dying in their droves around him seared into it.

 _"There's an elevator half a mile to your south. Take it, and we'll figure this out in Central."_

"B-b-but..."

 _"That's an_ _ **order**_ _Pilot."_

* * *

 _12:27 pm, NERV Central command bridge_

"Why is it doing that?" Ritsuko said out aloud, trying to figure out the Seraph's strategy.

 _You're supposed to home in on NERV central, or an Eva, not randomly attack forces which can't even hurt you. Is it...angry?_

"Well lucky us, it's interested in something else. Shinji-kun get back here right **now**!" Misato felt her temper rise, as the Eva lay on the ground unmoving, its gaze fixed on the rampaging enemy.

 _Yes I know, we're letting them die. But the Eva takes priority, Shinji-kun, you must understand that._

As far as she was concerned, they only had two priorities now, all thoughts of victory having long since vanished. Withdraw the Eva, and damage control. For whilst the ground forces were doomed, the air fleet could still get away.

"Captain Kirishima withdraw. You can't do anymore." She advised.

Otamo looked deeply conflicted for a moment, as he watched his comrades die in their droves.

 _"Forgive me, Katsuragi-san, I don't think we can do that."_

"What?" Misato felt her heart drop into her shoes.

 _"We are soldiers of Japan, we have already suffered the shame of being driven from our own capital city before, we will not endure the like again. Good luck, Lieutenant Colonel, Nippon Banzai."_ The connection cut.

A few of the bridge crew, the Japanese ones in particular, gave a sombre bow of their heads before continuing work.

* * *

 _12:28 pm, Tokyo-3 airspace, the FCV HIJMS Tsushima._

Otoma turned to face the crew of his command bridge and sighed sadly, whilst rubbing his grey bristle.

"Gentlemen, I don't find within myself the strength to retreat. I will attempt to attack the enemy in whatever way I can to give speed to the retreat of our brothers on the ground. Get to your life pods, it has been an honour."

It was deathly silent for a while, until one of his men, a young ensign, punched his fist in the air and bellowed "I go with Captain Kirishima!"

And then the rest of his crew did the same.

 _"As do we!"_ Came the Captain of the HIJMS Musashi, followed by a _"seconded"_ from the Kaga.

A single tear trickled down his wrinkled old cheek, before Kirishima wiped it away.

"Very well." He managed a grizzled smile. "The Tsushima will now commit to a general attack on whatever Spirits forsaken monstrosity resides down there. We will get its attention and cover the retreat of our comrades! Nippon Banzai!"

" **Nippon Banzai!** " His crew screamed as the entire flotilla roared towards their foe.

The first few seconds of the attack went by in silence, as tracer fire arced towards the Seraph, and aircraft swarmed around it. And then one of the other senior officers took off his cap and filled his lungs with air.

" _Japan our home of many isles. Surrounded by the crystal sea!"_

Soon enough, the rest of the men joined in with him.

" _Red rising sun, let your rays illuminate the entire blue sky!"_

* * *

 _Back on the ground..._

The Akuma crew, and many other troopers of the Tokyo-3 garrison, looked up at the sky ships with awe.

It seemed the air force wanted to lend a hand today. And it couldn't have been more appreciated, as over a quarter of their group had already been obliterated by the furious Seraph.

"Keep firing, don't stop!" Kiyoshi bellowed as the Akuma rumbled backwards with the Seraph in hot pursuit, the lead tank of their regiment being split in half by a tendril.

"I'd thought we'd focus more on running the fuck away, sergeant-" Eiji stopped mid snark. As over the radio, the voices of men and women could be heard.

" _Cherry blossoms fall from heaven, for all who are brave enough! The soldiers of Japan know not retreat, for we would rather perish with our honour! So forwards march as one!"_

It was Akai Asahi, the military march of the JSA.

The Seraph, clearly being annoyed by the Tsushima, swiped a tendril at the great ship, slicing off one of its rear wings.

The men and women of the Tokyo-3 garrison's voices tearfully joined those of the Tsushima, knowing full well what would happen next.

" _Our lives for our beloved Japan!"_

Shamshel lashed out again, after being struck with a futile salvo of pallet rounds, cutting through the Tsushima's weakened A-T field and armour plating, striking the mighty sky ship's primary S2 reactor.

"All reactors have gone critical, their overloading. **Nippon Banzai!** " A Lieutenant yelled, whilst Otoma closed his old and tired eyes.

A brief image came to mind, one of a fifteen year old girl with short, dark red hair running towards him, laughing as she embraced her father with all her worth.

 _Forgive me, Mana._

And thus the two hundred metre long warship, along with its crew of a thousand brave servicemen, were vaporised in an instant. And a further one hundred thousand of their comrades, wept at their sorry sacrifice.

* * *

 _12:29 pm, what's left of some random hill..._

The explosion was blinding, as was to be expected of an S2 reactor igniting.

But he couldn't look away, none of them could.

There was no chance any of them survived. Another thousand people had died because of his cowardice.

Shinji's brain had frozen in the face of the carnage unfolding before him. Armoured vehicles flew threw the air, some even striking the occasional unfortunate aircraft. Individual human beings were splattered across the city in a gory work of art on the Seraph's part.

There was nothing the Japanese State Army could do to stop the enemy, nothing whatsoever. An N2 strike could slow the thing down, but it was too far into the city centre. A strike there would kill every last soul in Tokyo-3.

There was no point resisting. And yet they refused to retreat.

The men in blue were dying to save his wretched life again.

 _Just like Fukuyama..._

 _"Shinji-kun._ _ **Retreat**_ _."_ Misato's tone became dangerous.

"But...all those people..."

 _"They're_ _ **expendable**_ _, the Eva isn't. Now do as I say soldier."_

He sat there, unmoving, horrified by such a callous disregard of human life, especially from someone he saw as kind. No words or retort came to mind, only silence.

The plug's other two occupants however, had looks of total revulsion upon their young faces. Retreat, even defeat itself, wasn't in the nature of the Japanese people to begin with, but this?

Leaving their own countrymen, and the family members hiding in the shelters below the city, to save their own wretched skin was unacceptable.

 _I wonder if he thinks like that though?_ Kensuke's subconscious murmured as he could see the look of anguish on Shinji's face, as he tried to come to a decision.

 _"Pilot I am ordering you to retreat!_ _ **Do it!**_ _"_

But the boy in question couldn't hear her. All he could see were the tanks of the Tokyo-3 garrison resolutely refusing to fall back. And the faces of the men who'd given their lives to save his own pathetic one all those years ago.

 _Not again...not again..._ _ **not again!**_

His guardian was still yelling at him to do as he was told, but he wasn't in the mood now. His countrymen were being massacred and they needed his help.

 _Not one more._ His subconscious found itself growling.

Slowly but surely pushing a button that cut Misato's video link, he sat back in his seat, breathing deeply.

"I'm sorry, I can't leave them."

Kensuke forced a smile.

"It's okay, you do what you have to do."

"We're right behind you." Toji added in a serious manner. Most of the hatred he had for this boy had melted away now, having seen his anguish and fear in combat. And how he baulked at the mere thought of not trying to stop the enemy with a snow ball's chance in hell. If this was to be their end, then he wouldn't let this kid think he was dying alone.

 _I'm sorry, Sakura._

Urging Unit 01 to rise, Shinji felt the titan's strength coursing through him, its ancient wrath almost intoxicating.

But he had a job to do.

A quick flashback to an earlier simulation test gave him an idea. The test where he'd been shown the existence of the _progressive knife_ , an actual blade made of some alloy he didn't understand, which was coated in positronic energy. A knife which resided in the Eva's back.

 _Stab it to death with that, sounds good..._

"Voice command, Shinji Ikari. Deploy prog knife!" He'd imagined these words would come out as controlled and authoritative, but of course owing to his nature, something that resembled a shriek escaped his lips.

The Eva's back slid open, and now his weapon was to hand.

The pain in his chest and on his hands, the pain which had so distracted him before, faded away when he beheld the Seraph grasp another Sky ship.

 _Not one more, you bastard!_

Screaming some sort of battle cry in his shrill voice, he thundered forward, the Earth itself shaking before the Eva's wrath. Had he been in the correct frame of mind, Shinji may have enjoyed the feeling of such power, as he'd possessed hardly any of it for the majority of his life. But he was too angry for that.

Shamshel felt the thunder in the ground, and sighed in irritation.

 _ **Can you not wait for your turn, Voor? I was enjoying myself-**_

Tossing the HIJMS Musashi aside, causing the mighty vessel to impact and demolish a large hill, he swung round to face the Eva, tendrils swishing through the air, hoping to slice off the purple monster's head. Despite them catching Unit 01 in the face, Shinji stormed ahead, slamming his right shoulder into the Seraph's A-T field and smashing straight through, despite some resistance.

The Divine Heir barely had time to react before the full force of the Eva's size and weight, coupled with its master's wrath, collided with him, bowling Shamshel off his metaphorical feet.

 _ **You...you didn't have strength such as this before!?**_

In those few precious moments, Shinji noticed the red jewel in what could be called his foe's _chest_ area.

His target had finally been acquired.

The boy planted his left hand into the Seraph's face, keeping it firmly pressed into the ground, before moving to strike with his blade.

But the destroyer of the last free cities would not die so easily.

Swishing upwards, Shamshel's energy tendrils cut a great X shape in the Eva's chest armour, eliciting a howl of pain from his foe, followed by a solid wall of orange lightening throwing Shinji off him, which gave the blood thirsty Heir nothing but ecstasy. Not that it dampened his rage.

 _ **I am Heir Shamshel! Sovereign Netzach's second eldest, and you will not humiliate me, brat!**_

Quickly scrambling back to his feet, the young Pilot's cerulean gaze fixed on his opponent, whom having risen up to its full height, produced a horrifying alien battle screech.

Shinji however, was undeterred.

Curling both his hands around his knife, Unit 01 thundered forward, with the young defender of humanity gripping his control sticks with stone cold determination upon his face, a few trickles of water issuing forth from his eyes. For although resolved, he was still afraid.

Thrusting one of his energy whips forward into the Eva, Shamshel sneered as it staggered. And then watched in shock as it rose again, somehow even more furious than before.

 _ **Why will you not die!?**_

Despite his howl of agony, with even his _companions_ gritting their teeth as they felt like they'd been stung by a bee on the chest, Shinji didn't stop for anything, with even the Seraph's prepared and readjusted A-T field being nothing but a temporary barrier. To Shamshel's surprise, despite knowing his opponent was coming and having time to prepare his own wall of light, Unit 01 broke through it like a sword through bone, its knife directed at his heart.

The Seraph attempted to move back, but Shinji was too quick. His blade sank into the creature of eldritch lore's S2 core.

 _ **I-I-Impossible...**_ He tried to recoil from both shock and pain, as royal blue blood trickled down the metal blade, but Unit 01 clasping its left hand around the Heir's _throat_ put an end to that.

 _ **I am Shamshel! I...will...not...die!**_

Another tendril surged forward and struck Unit 01 in the chest, right next to where the other tendril resided.

And then Shamshel forced them outward, despite the toughness of the Eva's hide and armour. Although not being able to immediately rip him open, a huge gash was slowly rent in Shinji's armour, accompanied with the screeching of torn metal, and the sound of sizzling flesh.

Hissing in agony, causing instinct to kick in, the boy twisted his knife further and further into the red jewel. The tearing sensation in his chest slowly desisting in its spread.

 _ **Die...die...die...suffer...squeal...**_ Shamshel's strength began to fade faster than that of his enemy, as his efforts to rip the Eva in half stopped.

 _ **D-defeat? How is this...possible? How?**_ The S2 core cracked open, blue blood issuing forth from it like a flood.

 _ **You're inferior...you can't win...you're all weak cowards! How did I lose? How am I...dying?**_

Despite raging against the dying of his light, even Shamshel succumbed to the darkness of death. One thought, whispering in his mind.

 _ **R-Ramiel...my beautiful sister...they are stronger than we think...please be safe...**_

Shinji violently but swiftly withdrew his blade from the Seraph, leaving it upright for a micro-second, only to eventually crumple over, the tendrils which had tortured the Eva pilot slipping out of his wound. Like their wielder, they would never move again.

And thus Heir Shamshel, conqueror of the last Fleilan cities, commander of the red band, finally died.

Accompanied by the thunderous cheers of one hundred thousand men.

* * *

 _12:45 pm, NERV Central command bridge_

"Plug has been ejected. Pilot's retrieval has begun." Maya slumped back in her seat, exhaling loudly. It would take another couple of hours to wrap everything up with putting the Eva back in its cage, diagnostics to run, and sorting out all the paperwork involved with those two stupid boys they'd dropped at the police station, but she'd be home soon enough.

Time does fly when you're doing the best job in the world after all.

 _What...a day..._

She stretched her fingers, hearing the satisfying clicks of them being put back into place. Whilst she did this, Maya did her best to ignore her temporary Commander's clear anger.

Misato's expression for the past fifteen minutes could only be described as _fuming_. Granted, it had momentarily looked like even she'd been impressed by Shinji's bravery, but that had been brief.

"Make sure Pilot Ikari stays in the locker room. I want a word with him." She swung around and marched off, purple hair billowing behind her.

Ritsuko watched her go with a sigh.

 _Seriously Misato-chan, he's sixteen years old. You can't expect him to be a soldier just like that. And besides..._

Unseen by anyone, the faux blonde's mouth curled into a small smile.

 _In his position, you would have done_ _ **exactly**_ _the same thing._

Turning back around, she saw that most of the staff had watched the combat director's _storming off_ with either vague amusement or interest.

"Did you anyone tell you to stop working?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No, Sub Commander!"

"Um, Sub commander Akagi?" Maya called out.

"Yes, Lieutenant Ibuki, what is it?" .

"Apparently Commander Ikari is on his way back...and he wants a debrief..." She had to stop herself bursting into laughter as her idol's expression dropped.

 **Fuck.**

* * *

 _12:50 pm,Pilot locker rooms,_

After quickly showering off the revolting orange substance known as LCL, Shinji had changed out of his itchy plug suit and slipped back into what he came here with.

His school uniform.

As warm as it was, anything was better than the plug suit. Having tied his shoe laces up, he sat down on one of the many benches and breathed deeply, bracing for what was to come.

Upon leaving his plug, one of the maintenance crew had told him the "Lieutenant Colonel" wanted a word with him. He may have been socially awkward, but he knew what that meant.

Punishment.

Resigned to whatever physical blow was to be landed upon him, he stayed put, awaiting his guardian's fury. But at heart he wasn't afraid for once. Because it felt like he'd done the right thing.

 _Quite an accomplishment for me I suppose..._

Pounding footsteps could be heard approaching him, causing Shinji to end his self reflection. Keeping his eyes firmly on the floor, he saw Misato's shadow be cast over him, her arms folded.

"What the hell happened out there?"

He remained silent, reckoning from experience this was a rhetorical question. And answering rhetorical questions usually ended up with a black eye.

Although as ever when it came to social things, he was somewhat wrong.

She sighed in exasperation.

"Do you think this is a game? That you can just do whatever you want in one of the most expensive pieces of equipment in history? Well I've got news for you, **Pilot**." Her voice reached a dangerous edge.

"You are a **soldier** now. You do as you are told, without question. If you were older I'd be putting you under disciplinary action, or even court marshal. But as you are only a **boy** -" She put special emphasis on that word, indicating his childishness.

"-I'll let it slide. Just this once. But if you ever do something like that again, then you go straight back where you came from. You can forget about us and the Evangelion. Because we **do not need** someone with that attitude."

It felt like a little part of Shinji's soul snapped at those words.

 _Of course nobody needs me. How could I have ever thought I was anything other than worthless..._

He slowly angled his gaze up at her, fighting back the pathetic tears which threatened to spill forth.

"I was just trying..."

 _To do the right thing._

" **Do what**!? Get yourself killed!? Get mankind's last hope wrecked whilst you do it!? Tell me, Pilot Ikari, what were you trying to do!? Prove that you won't just runaway, or that you'll have some sort of mental breakdown during combat!? Tell me!"

Shinji felt like trembling for a bit, but managed to get it under control.

"I-I-I'm..."

 _Sorry._

"Stop babbling like a child. You are sixteen years old so act like it!" The purplehead's folded arms somehow managed to become even tighter, as her brown eyes became narrower. The wimpy boy stared at them for a little while, weak blue quailing before harsh brown. At that point, he decided to cut loose. He would probably have more success with that than what he was already doing.

"What was I **meant** to do? J-J-Just...just leave them there?"

"So that's it?" Misato tiredly exhaled and shook her head.

"They were soldiers of Japan, Shinji-kun. Giving their lives for their country is basically in the job description." The tightness of her folded arms relaxed a little, as she slowly realised the anguish her charge was in.

" **They** were braver than me..." Misato's narrowed eyebrows completely disappeared as tears started rolling down her charges' cheeks.

"They should have been the ones to live, not me! I'm a worthless coward who keeps getting people killed because he's an idiot...they already died for me twelve years ago...at Fukuyama... **I left them to die** , I couldn't do it again..." His shoulders and head slumped and the tears rolled freely, as he'd wanted to let them for a while now.

"I have a mountain of failures on my shoulders already Katsuragi-san. I don't need... **or want** , anymore."

"But what if the Seraph had killed you? What then?" Her voice became a little more gentle.

"There would not be a single thing on this planet which could stop a Seraph. It would kill us all. You're an Eva pilot, Shinji-kun, I don't care what you think about yourself, you are **not** expendable." She put a hand on his shoulder, causing the boy to look back up at her.

"But all those people...those soldiers today...those civilians I crushed to death...were they expendable?"

Misato took a few moments to answer, a little part of her soul plummeting into her shoes over the mere fact he knew about **that** incident with the shelter, and this time she let her heart speak.

"No...they weren't. The Evangelion had to take priority, but you're right. There's no such thing as expendable...heh, war's a horrible thing isn't it?" She gently pulled the sobbing teen onto his feet and into an embrace he didn't resist.

Yes he'd still been insubordinate.

Yes he'd very nearly got them all killed.

Yes he'd gotten her worried out of her mind.

But even if it was the wrong thing to do, as he probably knew in her eyes, it was at least done for the right reasons.

"I-I-I know that I should follow orders. I know I'm a soldier now. But...a soldier's job is to protect his people right? If I didn't do that...wouldn't I be failing in my duty?"

Misato honestly didn't know what to say. Granted there were probably some arguments she could put forward against that ideology, but Shinji was certainly not in the right place for it now.

 _To hell with telling him off..._

"The ship that went down...the one I didn't let the Seraph rip apart...they all died didn't they?" He murmured quietly, knowing in his heart that must be the case.

"No. The Musashi took some structural damage and there were a hundred or so injured but no fatalities. You saved their lives, Shinji-kun." Her words were met with silence, as the mousey haired boy silently pondered the significance of those words.

"Shall we go home?"

"Yes please."


	14. 3:4 A phone call

_11:20am, Monday the 27th of June, Tokyo-3, Sengokuhara high school._

Outside, the rain pattered on the window, causing some students to run back in doors as they had been enjoying the merciless Japanese sun being blocked out by thick grey clouds.

However, within the class, one particular boy ignored it.

Kensuke Aida had always been a person who was easily distracted, primarily because there were more interesting things in this universe than whatever people usually prattled on about. After years of hearing the words "I'm sorry" or the ever favoured "I'll make it up to you next time," he'd become a master of descending into his own little world on demand.

He continued to quite fondly look down at what was probably his most preferred _toy_ as people called it. But a _toy_ it was not, for this small model of the mighty World War Two Battleship, Yamato, was worth far more than that.

It was a gift, from a long lost loved one.

However, he did not associate this boat with sad memories, oh no, this brought him happiness unlike anything else. Even his massive and hand made model of an Imperial _Dauntless_ class Dreadnought, paled before the fifty centimetre long piece of tin before him. However upon looking to his left, Kensuke sighed.

Toji sat at his desk looking rather down, as he had done for the past few days.

The geek could understand.

The jock was worried about that Shinji boy.

To be frank so was he, as ever since that "incident" nearly a week ago they hadn't heard hide nor hair of him. This wasn't helped by the sheer weight guilt on Toji's shoulders over the whole "beating the ever living shit out of the messed up kid who'd saved the fucking planet **twice** " thing.

Deciding to lighten his best friend's mood, Kensuke brought up Toji's fun sounding activity.

"So...how's Sakura?"

"I explained what happened the other day...she's furious with me." The black haired boy shook his head with a chuckle.

The twelve year old, after raving for five minutes straight, demanded that he apologise at the earliest convenience or else face the beating of a life time when she was fully healed.

 **If** she was ever fully healed.

"Hell hath no fury eh?" Kensuke smiled as he patted his best friend on the back.

" **Yes**." A voice every person in the class feared boomed.

Toji and Kensuke's smiles vanished, as Hikari Horaki walked over with her _target locked_ expression.

A few minutes previously, she'd been talking to the girl with short, dark red hair, who sat at the back of the class, in a very tender and comforting manner as the girl in question had quietly sobbed whilst holding a colour photo of herself being hugged by a middle aged man in air force Captain's uniform...

She stopped just in front of Toji's desk, one hand hanging loosely and the other on her hip.

He gulped.

"Oh...um...Horaki-san. is there anything I can do for you-" He was stopped mid sentence as the palm of her hand impacted his cheek.

She stared at him for a few moments with her brown eyes narrowed, before informing him of the reason he'd been struck. In voice that heralded a hurricane.

"Your treatment of Ikari-san the other day is almost reason enough for you to be expelled. You have one warning, Suzuhara-san, **one**. And Spirits help you if you need another. You will apologise at the earliest opportunity, **no later**." She turned around and strode away, sitting down at the front of the class whilst everyone else sniggered.

To his shame, Kensuke included.

"Well you have always wanted her to touch you..."

The jock turned his face towards Kensuke, completely red from Hikari's hand and blushing.

"Shut the fuck up."

* * *

Hikari sat at her desk, with a frown. Honestly she'd expected more of the classroom _jock_. She knew he was actually quite a gentle giant, anyone who was best friends with Kensuke Aida couldn't be anything but. In all her five years of knowing Toji, this sort of behaviour was unheard of. Of course she felt a little bad over the whole _hitting him_ thing, but ultimately Hikari felt he deserved and required it. After all, compared to what "Shinji" had been put through, it was a facade.

She didn't know the boy personally, but nonetheless he was a student in her class and under her jurisdiction, therefore her protection.

But from the look in his eyes, she felt the message was understood. Granted she'd wished to administer this on the day the incident had occurred, but with all the chaos that **thing** had caused, a few days off were in order.

And considering what she'd heard about the whole affair, Ikari, Aida and Suzuhara had all earned a bit of piece and quiet... **for now**.

 _Still need to kick their assess for sneaking out like that..._ She smirked to herself. For Hikari Horaki was not called "The Pig Tailed Dictator" for nothing.

* * *

Toji tapped his desk in thought, as he had done for the past few days. Him being him, he couldn't get past his guilt over what had happened between him and Shinji the previous week.

For all the kid had known, he'd simply been taking a breath of fresh air, and then someone who was related to someone he'd **accidentally** hurt, was beating the snot of him.

 _Yes, Sakura's right. Real mature man...real mature..._

"You know, if you just want to say sorry to the guy you could always call him?" Kensuke smashed his moment of reflection with a prod of his finger.

"Hmm, what?"

"I said if you wanted to apologise, you could always call him. I got his number off the class Rep."

Toji hadn't really thought about using modern technology to solve his problem, but the idea seemed sound. And thus with a few minutes before break's end, with a new contact in his phone's memory banks, he pressed the call button.

* * *

 _11:20am, residential district 9_

Someone was knocking on the door.

Seiichi slowly turned his head towards it, as he washed the dishes upon which resided the remnants of the meal he and his girlfriend had just eaten. Rice and sweet and sour chicken...as much as he despised the nation it heralded from, he couldn't help but admit it was delicious.

And of course it was cooked by his girlfriend, so he couldn't say otherwise.

"I'll get it!" The most beautiful woman in the world called out to him, as she swiftly walked over to the door.

Today, Mikasa had dressed casually, yet she still looked like ten billion yen to Seiichi. He could have stood there all day, drinking in her image.

In his uniform.

Today had been deemed a special case for the Tokyo-3 garrison. Half of them got a day of leave, and the other half would tomorrow. So the young man had got himself prepared for the evening when he would have to return to barracks.

Mikasa's shoulders slumped as she looked through the peephole in her door.

"It's them."

"I can tell them to go away if you want..." Seiichi said awkwardly.

"No...they're your friends. For you and me to work..." She looked thoughtful for a moment then continued.

"I can't keep you away from your friends, especially when you won't keep me from mine. And anyway, those two are good fun after all." She smiled a little, upon remembering that evening some few days previous.

During the battle between the _Seraph_ and the _Evangelion,_ the entrance to her sector's shelter had caved in, forcing the JSA to pull aside the rubble. And part of that unit, a volunteer, was her boyfriend. Their reunion had been...emotional...and then ruined by his comrades mockery. All this had led to a night camped outside the Akuma, with Eiji and Kiyoshi sharing embarrassing stories about Seiichi's past. Such as pissing himself upon their first engagement, the _stick incident_ , and the mumblings he would make in his sleep.

Their language, save for that of the Sergeant, had been foul, and their humour crude. Yet Mikasa had taken to them with a liking, and unlike most civilians, had not been intimidated by the Sergeant's scarred and burned face.

Upon Seiichi getting a day of leave, and having another night of passion, during one of their _bed talks_ she'd even described them as "funny."

So the two JSA soldiers were let in, with Eiji holding some bottles of wine, and Kiyoshi having his eyebrows raised at his subordinates' enthusiasm.

"Ah, Torogi-san, pleasure as always!" The driver beamed, and Mikasa could tell by his breath that he was a little drunk.

"I hope we aren't intruding, but my comrade here practically insisted on paying you both a visit." The Sergeant rolled his eyes in apparent annoyance behind Eiji's back, causing Mikasa to smile, and her boyfriend to chuckle.

"You all love me and you know it..." The driver loudly grumbled before taking a non-offered seat, and setting the bottles on the table.

"Both of them are Italian, not easy to get hold of these days I might add. Had to call in a favour or two for them, and they're both red. So...knock yourselves out." He opened a bottle and reached out to grab a glass.

"Eiji." Kiyoshi said sharply.

"Oh...right... _hai_..." Eiji quickly turned his head to face Mikasa, who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded.

"Do you mind if I use one of your glasses?"

"Go ahead." She nodded, before resigning herself to another day of dealing with JSA troopers, and brought herself over to the table, filling up a glass for herself.

"Torogi-san, do you mind if get myself a glass of water." Kiyoshi put forward in a manner so shockingly polite for him, his men stared at him in wonder.

"Yes of course. It's not the year 2000 anymore, we don't ration water these days." She laughed a little, with the sergeant bowing his head politely and gratefully.

Seiichi shot Eiji a look.

 _What the hell was that?_

The driver, with widened eyes, simply shrugged.

 _I don't fucking know!_

With Kiyoshi getting his drink, and Seiichi finishing washing up, all four sat at the small table, talking among each other.

"So, how long exactly have you two been together?" The sergeant took a sip of his water, whilst quietly chastising his other subordinate, whom had already gulped down a glass of wine.

Kiyoshi had never like alcohol, it had always been too strong for him. Even some of the western cider made him wrinkle his nose up in disgust.

"January 19th 2015. That was when we met." Seiichi smiled a little, taking his girlfriend's hand in his own. He vividly remembered it, on one of his weeks of leave when he'd been left standing around at some sort of societal function, and then she'd come over to him and asked for a dance.

One thing had led to another, and they'd traded phone numbers before the night was done. Not to mention kissed in the moon's light.

"That makes sense. You started mumbling about her two years ago." Kiyoshi nodded, whilst Eiji almost spat his wine out.

"Two years? I thought you'd been crushing on her for a bit, not going out with her from the word go. Two years? What's a ravishing young lady like you doing going out with this plum for the past **two years**?"

"Oh shut up before I bash your brains out with my helmet."

"Calm your fucking tits, Private lover boy, it was just a joke..."

" **Both of you** , mind your language. We're in the presence of a lady." Their superior officer strictly commanded, as if he were some sort of father.

In a response that indicated the two may well have been his children, Seiichi and Eiji paled, yelled " _Hai_!" then went quiet.

Mikasa, with a black eyebrow raised, made a mental note to write down advice from the Sergeant on how to deal with undisciplined troops such as her boyfriend, and laughed.

Soon enough, the other three joined her.

It is often said that a man swoons when he sees the girl he loves smile. But Mikasa's heart would always skip a beat when her boyfriend smiled that sweet one of his. The one that had made her fall in love with him all those years ago.

* * *

 _11:25am, Sengokuhara high school._

Standing outside the building to get a good signal, Toji held his phone to his ear for a while. In times gone by he would have worried about using up all his credit, but with these contracts and unlimited texts and calls, there was no issue. And yet he still stood there for a minute straight, the rain hammering down around him.

He was about to put the phone down, assuming the boy he wished to speak to wasn't into that sort of thing, only for it to be answered at the last second.

 _"Um...hello? Who...who is this?"_

"Uh, hey, Ikari-san. It's Suzuhara. I was just wondering how you were because you haven't been in for the past few days and you weren't so good the last time I saw you and..."

 _Spirits, I sound like a nervous wreck._

Having always hated showing weakness, the black haired boy gritted his teeth and awaited the reply of someone he'd wanted to murder with his bare hands only a week before.

 _"Well...thanks for your concern. I'm fine, I've just had to skip a few days of school, debriefing, synch training and all that. I'll be coming back tomorrow."_

"Cool...just wanted to see if you were alright. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Toji would have ended the conversation then, yet something kept nagging at him.

 _"Yeah...see you then."_

 _You will apologise at the earliest opportunity,_ _ **no later**_ The phrase echoed in Toji's brain as he mustered the courage to say what had to be said.

"Um...Ikari-san?" He scratched the back of his head whilst trying to find the right words.

 _"Yes, Suzuhara-san?"_

"About the other day...I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. That was me being a complete jack ass. You didn't deserve any of it..." He swallowed, whilst closing his eyes and sighing.

"Just wanted to say."

There was silence for a few moments, before Shinji Ikari managed to overcome his shock and respond.

 _"I-I-It's okay...you were going through quite a bit."_

"Gah, that doesn't make it right!"

 _"Perhaps... anyway...I've got to go now. I think my room mate is trying to cook lunch again..."_ What sounded like a shudder echoed on the other end.

"That bad huh?" Toji chuckled. Having sampled his father's cooking, he knew all too well what that kind of garbage tasted like.

 _"You have no idea."_

"Well, I suppose you'll just have to tell me all about it next time you come into school. See you then." The jock began to take the phone away from his ear, a strange smile on his face.

 _"Yeah...bye."_

The most forced conversation both teenagers had ever experienced, ended when Toji pressed the _end call_ button on his Samsung.

He exhaled through his nose and shook his head.

 _Damn, that didn't go like how I planned at all. But oh well...the guy seems nice. And after everything he did the other day...I think I like him._

* * *

 _11:28am, NERV quarters._

Shinji put his phone down, and stared at his bedroom wall in a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

 _Did I just...make friends with someone?_


	15. 4:1 Dinner

_"Due to its possible use for military purposes, cloning is henceforth outlawed."  
_

 _ **Article 18 of the Vatican Treaty, drawn up by the United Nations, December 25th 2006**_

* * *

 _5:30pm, Thursday the 29th of June, Tokyo-3, NERV quarters._

Shinji was glad to be doing the cooking. With an apron wrapped around him, he fried the fish that would soon be added to his already prepared rice with a grace that could only be made by experience.

 _It'll need a kick to it..._

"Katsuragi-san? Do you mind if I use some of the Wasabi?"

"Sure! Go right ahead, but not too much. Rits-chan here can't handle spice..." Misato chuckled as their guest for the evening harrumphed.

"It's not that I can't _handle_ spice, it's just that I don't take pleasure in my taste buds being incinerated." Ritsuko muttered.

It wasn't often the two women did _stuff_ together these days, the times they'd visit each others homes even less so. But the Sub Commander had taken advantage of work related matters to bring herself over here. Into this far more cramped and simple dwelling than her own.

But because Misato lived here, it was far more lively with her unending aptitude for teasing echoing through the halls.

Deep down, Ritsuko really enjoyed the purplehead's party girl ways. It was a reminder of the old days, of college and doing _stupid shit_ they hoped their tutor would never find out about.

The days before Gendo Ikari, were something she missed.

The cooking she was subjected to however...not so much. That was why the faux blonde was quite thankful for Shinji right then and there. She didn't know how good his cooking was, but it couldn't be any worse than that of her old college friend.

"How's dinner coming along, it smells good." Misato had already asked some three times before over the past ten minutes, whilst she and her guest sat on the lounge floor with a table at the centre, inevitably with six or so cans of beer lying around.

 _It'll be ready when it's ready...his_ subconscious grumbled before he responded with "It's almost done."

Shinji added a drop or two of sauce to the fried fish mixture, and then to the rice. A quiet warking by his feet made him look down and sigh.

"It would be a bit spicy for you, Pen-pen. Sorry."

The Penguin warked in dissatisfaction before it waddled off.

A few minutes later, he walked into the lounge with three plates of rice, covered in some slightly spiced fish, steam still wafting off it. Misato gave a quick applause of excitement and approval, whilst Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.

 _Smells nice...looks nice...am I in the right house?_

Having set the food down, the three tucked in. Well "tucked in", as in, Shinji ate his food in the classic polite manner, Misato wolfed it down as someone who was always in a hurry for something would, and Ritsuko gingerly prodded her food with her chopsticks, wary of possible spice. Eventually giving in to her curiosity, the faux blonde placed some fish in her mouth, and found it quite delightful.

It was spicy, but not quite enough to be "painful" as she would say.

Turning to her right, Ritsuko inwardly sighed upon seeing Misato had gotten through half her meal already.

"You'll give yourself indigestion..."

"At least my food won't get cold." The younger woman shot back.

Shinji didn't add anything to the conversation, as whilst he did agree with "Akagi-san," he'd never really been one for taking sides. Unless said side happened to be against his father...

"So, Ikari-san" He nearly jumped when Ritsuko addressed him, but quickly met her gaze so as not to be impolite.

"How are you finding life with my old room mate?"

"Katsuragi-san has been kind to me. I am very grateful to her..." He didn't mean for his tone to be so forced, but it clearly was.

Ritsuko's chuckling, and Misato's playfully raised eyebrow, showed that.

"I'm sure she has been. Now..." The faux blonde used a handkerchief to dab her mouth.

 _I'll have to make a note to come over here whenever he's cooking._

"Unfortunately I didn't just come over to spend time with the big baby-"

"Hey!" Misato interrupted indignantly.

"I do have some work related things to attend to." Ritsuko started rummaging around in her grey uniform's pockets, totally ignoring the purplehead's various harrumphs.

"Ayanami-san's security card has expired, I have her new one right here." Grasping hold of said card, she drew it out of her pocket and handed it to a surprised Shinji.

"I believe you should be the one to give it to her. Don't worry, her address is on there."

 _Visit...Ayanami-san? I'm still struggling to think about even talking to her, let alone_ _ **go**_ _to wherever she lives. I...It's not that I don't want to...it's just..._

"What? Me? Um...I...no...I've got school tomorrow and...and I've got a synch test as well. I'll be too busy..." He stammered.

"You could take it to her before school? If you get up early enough you'll have plenty of time." Misato both cheerfully and unhelpfully offered.

 _Thanks._

"But...why me?"

"Tenka-sensei has informed of the fact you're aware of, Ayanami-san's...origins. I'll point out here that is quite classified, higher ranks only, but as a Pilot and considering your... _relation_...you are entitled to know. Just...try and keep it to yourself okay?" She waited for him to nod in acceptance before continuing.

"Alright then. Back on topic, I understand it must be very awkward for you, but you will need to start socialising with her eventually. You are going to be co-workers after all. And besides...Ayanami-san is a nice girl, you've got nothing to fear from her."

Shinji's attempt at a response died in his throat, as he regretfully noted how he couldn't fault her logic. Besides, it was time he had another conversation with Rei, instead of gazing hopelessly at her from across the class room.

 _Well...it seems we're having a talk tomorrow. I hope it'll be less awkward for you than it will be for me._

"What actually happened to her? I mean as in...why was she hospitalized when I got here?" He decided to change the topic, and gain some useful information while he was at it.

Ritsuko closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose whilst her gloved hands started fiddling with themselves.

"About a day or so before you arrived, we attempted to activate Unit 00. Something went wrong...very wrong." She trailed off for a few moments.

"We lost control. We had to initiate an emergency shut down of the Eva, which caused Ayanami-san's entry plug to eject...inside the simulation area..."

The table was quiet for a while, with Misato grimly remembering the aftermath, and Shinji's jaw dropping.

"That sounds awful. No wonder she could hardly move..." He said, aghast.

"Indeed. The accident broke almost every bone in her body, she was lucky to even be alive as far as I'm concerned. It was only after a six hour dip in the rejuvenation tank, that she could even move again..." Ritsuko grimly agreed/

Realising he may have dampened the evening, the meek young man decided to take himself away from the table and leave the adults in peace. That was what teacher had taught him to do.

"I've...got an assignment to do. I'll be in my room for a while." He took the card, stood, bowed, then walked off.

"Quite a shy young man isn't he?" Ritsuko murmured after his door shut.

"Yes...he struggles with new people. But I think when he vaguely knows someone it becomes easier for him." Misato agreed, then downed a quarter of a can.

"Still...he usually keeps to himself. I guess we know where Ayanami-san gets it from now." She chuckled quietly, whilst her friend of the past twelve years looked thoughtful.

"The Hedgehog's dilemma..." Ritsuko muttered.

"What's that?"

"Oh, the Hedgehog's dilemma. It's an old metaphor..." The faux blonde uncrossed her legs.

"A Hedgehog tries to get close to other Hedgehogs, so it can keep warm. But its spines, and the spines of the other Hedgehogs, can cause both parties to hurt each other."

Misato pondered those words for a moment.

"So he's afraid of getting hurt by other people?"

"In short, yes. And possibly he could be afraid of hurting others. But that's just guesswork on my part, I'm smart but I'm not a psychiatrist."

"So why does he get along with me?"

"Well, A, as you said, he somewhat knows you. Therefore it's easier for him to be in your company. And B, this is quite a confined space. He's literally had no choice but to socialise with you...how do you think **we** became friends?" Ritsuko laughed a little, as Misato explosively harrumphed.

"No choice? Everyone wants to socialise with me, Rits-chan..." She put a hand on her chest in a grandiose manner. The faux blonde rested her cheek upon her hand and shook her head slightly.

When the chuckling subsided, Misato's expression became a little more serious.

"What do you think about...sending him out there...against **them**?" She swirled her can around, having gone over this question many times before in her head.

"I...think we don't have an option, Misato-chan."

"Don't give me that, Rits-chan. I know we haven't got much of a choice...but...It surely isn't the right thing to do..."

 _Child soldiers, have, will, and always shall be unacceptable. I just hope after this war they'll never have to be used again..._ She mused.

"War is terrible. That's always been a fact. And we are at war, Misato-chan, make no mistake. The Seraphim **will** kill us all. The Evangelions are our only hope."

"Then we'll just have to kill them first." Misato scowled into her beer before letting her expression soften.

"Anyway, enough of that. What about the other Evas...when do they get here?" She downed some more beer. Whilst she was quite high up in NERV's command structure, she didn't know everything. Commander Ikari strictly controlled information, if you wanted to know something, you had to go to him.

Ritsuko nodded and leaned forward.

"The German High Seas fleet set sail some weeks ago, they'll be here on the 15th of July, or roundabouts. They've rendezvoused with the Imperial Navy's 5th fleet near the Falklands..."

"They should have joined them in the English channel. Unit 03 should have been in Leopard, not Buenos Aires!" The flames of Argentina, and the navy blue behemoth which stood in them, caused rage to burn within Misato's heart.

The thought of using an **Evangelion** on under equipped rebels, as a weapon of war against other men, was horrifying. The Evas were mankind's last hope against the threat of the Seraphim, not tools to secure its various tyrannies and Empires.

"They're the **Empire** , Misato-chan, they don't play fair. Which reminds me..." Ritsuko reached into her pockets, and produced a memory stick.

"On here is practically everything that isn't classified about the Fourth Child. I can tell you now, he's a Major in the Imperial Army, and he has absolutely no loyalty to NERV. Only to Britain and its Emperor." She handed the stick to Misato, whilst the mere thought of a Pilot whose allegiance was to something other than the organization which prevented the destruction of humanity, disturbed her.

 _Letting the superpowers build Evas was unwise. That much power in their hands...Spirits._

"Samuel Meadow...Asuka-chan talked about him every now and again. Spoke weirdly highly of him...by her standards." Misato dimly remembered rumblings about an "Imperial dummkopf."

"Really? Interesting...anyway, there is one more thing you should know..." Ritsuko's finger tapped the table.

"His father is Alexander Meadow."

The purplehead's expression fell into a look of fear.

"His father...is **the** conqueror of France? **The** supreme commander of the Imperial Army, second only to Emperor Vance himself in the chain of command? **High Field Marshal Alexander Meadow** , is the Fourth child's father?"

"Yes indeed. So...tread lightly with him alright? We provoke Alexander and we might as well be provoking Britain. Now, it's been good to see you for a while, but I've got to go. I'll see you at work." Ritsuko stood up and bowed her head, receiving one back from her hoast.

But before she could reach the door, Misato called out to her.

"Hey. So what's the big plan with Shinji-kun and Ayanami-san?"

"Come again?"

"Rits-chan you could have taken that card to Ayanami-san yourself. So why do you want Shinji-kun to do it?"

"I believe I've already said why. Now, if I may take my leave." Ritsuko put her put her key-card in the slot, then sighed.

"Fine...I think Ayanami-san should have a friend."

Misato didn't respond through sheer surprise, leading to the faux blonde successfully opening the door and leaving the apartment.

 _You want Shinji-kun to be that_ _ **thing's**_ _friend?_

* * *

Meanwhile, within the recently christened _Shinji's lovely suite_ , the room's occupant paced around, muttering to himself. Usually in times of stress, he would have his earphones in and be deaf to the world. But this was a little different.

"Hello, Ayanami-san, how are you? No, no, that's stupid..."

He kept trying to come up with a greeting that didn't sound strained, and consistently failed. He didn't want to get this wrong, so very badly. He wanted to be a friend at the least to all he had left of his mother.

Slumping down on his bed, Shinji clasped his hands together and closed his eyes in thought.

 _Do I just want to talk to her because she's a clone of mother? Because I think I might just get that sort of affection from her? How shallow..._

As much as he tried, the boy simply failed to see Rei as her own person. He knew too little of her to see her as a person, not as an extension of his mother.

 _But I do want to know you...and I do want to help you..._ The words of "If I die I can be replaced" flashed painfully though his mind as tears welled up.

 _I hate you, father...I hate you, I hate you, I hate you..._

Was that the other reason? He wanted to get her away from his father's influence so as to exact vengeance upon him? Horrifically, that possibility seemed just as likely as the other. He didn't want either to be true.

 _I suppose I'll just have to find out tomorrow._ He inhaled then exhaled deeply, unclasping one of his hands and allowing it to clench.

"I'll see you tomorrow then...Ayanami-san."


	16. 4:2 A lonely home

_8:00am, Friday the 30th of June, NERV quarters, eastern sector._

Slowly, he walked up the stairs within this ramshackle apartment complex, after attempting to use the long non-functioning lifts.

 _Is this where she lives?...I haven't seen any sign of life since I got here._

The place was desolate, and quiet as the grave. It seemed to have been inhabited some years ago, but now it was dilapidated and overshadowed by the modern apartment blocks being built around it.

He fought to control his breath and heartbeat as he arrived on the correct floor, and saw at the end of the corridor "apartment 100."

Well...he reckoned that's what it meant as the "one" had fallen off.

Gradually approaching it, Shinji started shaking. He both wanted, and didn't want to be there.

 _Gah! Just make your mind up already!_

Regardless, he pushed on, reaching the door. The ajar and unlocked door...

Alarm bells rang in his head as he pushed it open, his now basic combat reflexes tensing. Had someone broken in? Why on earth would they do that?

He peeked his head through the open door, not seeing any signs of rummaging or theft. Then the shoddy quality of this place hit home.

Straight away, he walked into a cramped little kitchen covered in mess. It was clear Rei did her own cooking, as the remnants of meals lay all over the place. But unfortunately, it seemed she had little interest in cleaning up after herself.

The stench of rotting food being confirmation of this.

His nose shrivelling up from the smell, Shinji brought himself through the corridor which connected the dirty kitchen to what could be described in the most basic of terms as the _bedroom_.

Cracked windows, cracked walls, water leaking through the roof, and a ghastly draft blowing through the building, all made him cringe. It was also very cramped, with not much room to move around in. A desk was crammed in next to the bed, with the main room appearing to be some sort of hybrid between bedroom and study. A wardrobe made the space feel even more confined.

No lounge, not even a television. There was a closed door to the bathroom, and that was it.

 _Spirits...it's like a prison cell._

"Um...hello?" He called out.

No response.

Walking around the room a bit more, a horrid stench coming from the bed sheets told Shinji they hadn't been cleaned in a while. Then something on the desk caught his eye. He brought himself over to the wooden desk, and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

On that uninspired slab, were a pair of glasses. In dire need of repair, but glasses nonetheless. What drew his attention however, was he'd seen them before.

The last time he'd beheld this pair was on that platform oh so many years ago.

Behind these had resided uncaring eyes oh so similar to his own.

These were Gendo Ikari's glasses.

He stepped away, as if they were a cursed demonic chalice, long suppressed anger bubbling and boiling within him again. He could picture the cold blue staring down at him, with either apathy or disdain, as the voice which haunted his dreams commanded Rei to get in Unit 01 all those weeks ago, echoed throughout his memory.

Forcing back the tears and opening his clenched fist, Shinji inhaled and exhaled for a while, until the sound of a door handle being turned made him jump. Turning on the spot, he saw the bathroom door had now opened, Rei walking out of it. Clearly she'd been in the shower, a little part of his brain chastised. But as for the rest of it...

She was naked, everything exposed. Her breasts, her womanhood, everything.

He couldn't blink, move, or breath, as blood rose to his cheeks.

 _No, no, no, no, she is a clone of_ _ **mother**_ _._ _ **You cannot find her attractive.**_

Rei cast her red eyes on him for a few moments, then made her way to the wardrobe. Opening the doors, she opened a draw and pulled out a bra, whilst Shinji looked on.

"How may I be of service Ikari?"

 _No honourifics? That's a bit strange._

"Oh, um, Ayanami-san...I...I'm so sorry I didn't know you were...t-the door was open..." He spun around, averting his gaze to her privacy.

"What are you sorry for?" She slipped on some underwear, causing him to feel a little less uncomfortable.

"Um...I..." His words died in his throat, as he realised she hadn't been bothered by him seeing her naked. Eventually finding the words he needed, the mousey haired boy finally spoke.

"Your old security card is out of date, I-I-I've brought you a new one-" The sudden sound of a door closing caused Shinji to turn round, seeing Rei had gone.

The glasses with her.

"H-H-Hey! Hold on!"

* * *

She could walk quickly, as he was panting by the time he caught up with her. Rei kept facing straight ahead as they walked through the early morning streets of Tokyo-3, the mid summer heat glaring down on them.

In his eyes, she seemed to be annoyed with him. Why else would she just walk straight out of that room, totally ignoring him?

"Hey...I'm sorry if I upset you. I just have to-"

"There is nothing to be sorry for. I must get to school on time, as do you." She said nonchalantly.

"Oh...I see..."

 _I barge into her home uninvited, see her naked, ogle at her for a while, and she doesn't even blink?_ _ **And she's a clone of my mother!**_

Whilst mulling over this again and again, he managed to completely forget why he'd gone there in the first place. So, after getting on the train which would take them to Sengokuhara high's vicinity, the card remained in his bag, completely unremembered.

It was a reasonably empty train, not as barren as the one he'd come here on all those weeks ago, but there was no shortage of spare seats. So he'd decided to sit close to her, but not too close.

The journey was a silent one, as Shinji didn't have the courage to speak to her. This was worsened by Rei seeming to have a total lack of interest in his very existence.

Although, this wasn't quite true...

 _Why does he sit so close to me?_ The albino murmured in her subconscious, fully aware of the boy who was her progenitor's son.

 _I am replaceable...I do not matter...my only purpose is to serve Commander Ikari's scenario. So why does he..._ For a few moments, she cast her gaze upon the young man, before quickly turning back before he could notice.

 _Seem to care?_

She pondered this for a while, as far as someone like Rei can. And during this, a memory of her first actual conversation with "Pilot Ikari" came to mind.

" _I guess that makes you my Sister."_

 _Is that why? Because he sees me as..._

And then another word came to her, one almost incomprehensible to her.

 _Family?_

* * *

 _9:25am, Sengokuhara high school._

Shinji was to have a very busy day. First, he'd had to get up earlier than usual to bring Rei her... _damn it!_ He chastised himself over his forgetfulness. He'd have to attend to that after lessons.

After said lessons, it was straight to NERV for some synch tests, which would take a few hours, then it was back home to do...whatever. Be teased by Misato, commanded by Pen-Pen, perhaps watch the news, sample his guardian's appalling cooking, or cook for himself. Now though, he'd another history lesson to ease himself into.

They were still covering the Empire, but now the emphasis was being placed upon the war that changed it into the superpower the world knew today.

The Federal-Imperial War.

On the class monitor, a short film was being shown. The black Federal eagle was proudly emblazoned at the heart of a white shield upon a black cross on a grey background. A quick bit of the Federal anthem " _Federation without limit"_ was played before it transitioned to an image of a sandy brown haired man in his late thirties, wearing a black trench coat, grey armband, and peaked cap.

Behind him stood the members of his government. The surrounding scenery appeared to be that of a great mountain range.

 _"Today...marks the end of the Empire. The end of a regime that allows aristocratic squabbling, pomposity, and_ _ **disorder**_ _to thrive."_ The man began, in a rasping voice.

 _"As we speak, in a place far from here, the Great British Empire_ _ **lies to the world**_ _, whilst secretly attempting to usurp our ordained position as the earth's rightful and only master._ _ **We**_ _the superior race of America, shall not tolerate this!"_ The camera panned around him, to show the many tens of thousands of Federal Guard standing before him, a dozen or so primed and ready to fire nuclear missiles poking out of the ground behind them.

 _"These fine weapons which stand behind you, weapons that safeguard our great nation, shall bring an end to_ _ **their**_ _Parliament, to_ _ **their**_ _London, to_ _ **their**_ _cherished Monarchy. Every single last remaining Imperial subject_ _ **will bow to the Federation**_ _, and they will remember this moment, the 15th of July 2005,_ _ **as the very last breath of their wretched Empire**_ _!"_

Princeps Henry Abrams punched his fist in the air, and bellowed the classic cry of " **Foederatio sine fine**!" His voice was soon joined by tens of thousands of others, in a display of nationalism that made Shinji's blood run cold.

Patriotism was one thing...but this? The man was jubilating in the coming slaughter of five million innocent people. A few million less than that of Tokyo-2, but still something awful. In short, this speech was every bit as disturbing as that of President Dong Wang when he declared victory pre-emptively in the Pacific War some twelve years ago, the unending screams of " _Qi Lai"_ still tormenting the dreams of many Japanese.

The screen went dark, and Mr Sisata walked in front of it.

"Well, having seen that, can anyone further explain the North American Federation's ideological reasons for war with the Great British Empire?"

His gaze flickered over the classroom, as Hikari raised her hand. Gaining a nod of acceptance from the teacher, she stood and composed herself.

"It is in accordance with the Federation's ideology of _manifest destiny_ that they be the soul masters of the Earth, as they see themselves as the superior race. Also, such a system as that of a hereditary monarchy and a noble class, would seem outdated, bloated, and inferior to them. Hence why to this day they hold the Empire in such contempt."

"Once again, well done, Horaki-san." Sisata smiled, before addressing his entire class.

"What about personal reasons? Why would Princeps Abrams, one of the most shrewd politicians of our age, go to war with Britain?" There was a bit of quiet, until a hand at the back of the class was raised.

"Ah, Kirishima-san. Enlighten us."

Mana Kirishima managed a smile before standing up.

"Because he is total lunatic?" This elicited a few chuckled around the class, with Mr Sisata shaking his head.

"Not quite the answer I was looking for, but somewhat correct." He then pointed a beckoning finger at Toji, who'd raised his own hand.

"Suzuhara-san? Care to elaborate?"

The jock cleared his throat.

"The way I see it, Abrams and his regime are like bullies. He liked the power he and his country had, and was probably terrified by the thought of another bully coming into his playground. At least, that's as far as I can tell."

Sisata smiled approvingly, whilst some of the newer students looked confused. For only the few who really knew Toji, were familiar with the intelligent and perceptive young man hidden underneath all the muscles and jock facade.

"Very good, Suzuhara-san. It seems you do pay attention sometimes." The old man turned back to the board and began to tell his class what page of their books they needed to turn to, but Shinji wasn't paying attention. For he was occasionally snatching looks at Rei, wondering once again how on Earth he was going to try and communicate with her, not at all helped by the nagging thought at the back of his mind, telling him she didn't enjoy his company.

And that was a scary thought.

 _Please...don't reject me as well..._

* * *

 _11:50am, cafeteria_

"Hey, is it okay if we sit with you?" Kensuke's words caused him to blink. Having been fixated on Rei who sat all by herself on the other side of the cafeteria, he'd failed to notice the two boys who awkwardly stood by his side.

"Um...yes, of course." He forced a smile, and budged over a little, allowing them to lay their trays down.

"So how are you holding up?" The jock said.

"I'm alright." Shinji mumbled as his gaze fell upon Rei again.

 _She doesn't act very lonely...so why does it feel like she is?_

"Oh I see." Kensuke had a coy smile on his lips.

"What?"

"You're ogling at Ayanami-san aren't you?" Toji chuckled, whilst Shinji's face contorted into a blushing horror.

" **No**!"

"I think we've embarrassed him, Toji-san." The geek laughed.

"Oh don't worry, Ikari-san, you're not the first to take a liking to her, and you won't be the last. She **does** have some nice breasts." The jock's words made the bottom of Shinji's stomach contort.

" **No**...it...it isn't like that... **at all**. I was just wondering why she always sits by herself..."

"Huh, that's usual behaviour for Ayanami-san. It's not like she tells people to go away or anything...it's just awkward around her. Like she...doesn't know what to do with other human beings." Kensuke cast a thoughtful gaze at Rei, before turning back to Shinji.

"I don't think she likes me very much..." The mousey haired boy took a bite out of his home made sandwich.

"Did she hit you or something?"

"No. She just...ignores me."

"Then she doesn't mind you. Ayanami-san is distant with people to begin with, and she hasn't got or had any friends here, at least not as long as we've known her. It's probably nothing to do with you." Toji patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, she hardly even smiles." Kensuke readjusted in glasses in thought as he himself struggled to remember whenever Rei has used her lips for something other than talking or eating.

"Well there was that one time you did the Nettle Olympics..." The jock's lips pressed into a smile.

" **I thought we agreed not to talk about that.** "

"Nettle Olympics?" Shinji raised his eyebrow.

"Oh of course you haven't been here long. Right, the Nettle Olympics are a time honoured tradition at this school, where young men, to prove their metal, jump into the stinging nettle bush at the bottom of the sports field. In only their underwear." Toji leaned forward, utmost enthusiasm in his eyes.

"That's insane!"

"And fucking hilarious."

"Stupid people with higher pain thresholds..." Kensuke mumbled, causing Shinji's dropped jaw to turn into a genuine smile, then a quiet laugh, his thoughts just for that moment in time being taken away from the pale girl sitting in the corner.

* * *

 _12:00am, NERV, entrance point 1._

Rei slid her card into the ID slot, a swift beep and a flashing of a red "X" mark following in swift succession.

She tried again, being met with the same symbol and sound.

"Hey." Shinji's voice caused her to turn round, seeing him standing a behind her with a card in his hand.

"Your security clearance expired. I've got your new card here." He nervously handed the rectangle of plastic to her.

She took the card straight out of his hands, slid it through the machine, and walked on regardless, leaving him standing there for a few moments in surprise before he slid his own card through the machine and hurried on after her. Once again, he struggled to keep pace with the bluehead, only catching up on the escalator which took them down to the Evangelion cages. They stood in awkward silence for a while, Shinji desperately trying to think of something to say.

 _What the hell can I talk to her about? I don't even have the excuse of giving her the security card anymore so...gah damn it! Think, think, think!_

And then, finally, a thought did come.

 _What about the Evas? We're both Pilots so...maybe we can talk about that? She is doing an activation test today after all._

"So..."

Rei said nothing.

"I heard about your accident in Unit 00 the other day. Aren't you scared about going back in there?"

"No."

"How?" He said in a thunderstruck tone. He was scared enough about getting back into Unit 01, and that hadn't even tried to kill him yet.

"It is what I am ordered to do."

" _Ordered_...you can't just let **him** tell you what to do all your life." He had to try very hard not to let his voice turn into a growl over merely thinking of his father.

"He is the commander. I must obey."

"Just because he's the commander doesn't mean he's always right."

"Do you not trust your father?"

Her question hung in the air.

" **No of course not!** " Shinji snarled by accident, his anger exploding forth. Quickly getting his temper back under control through the clenching of his fist, he managed to continue.

And even then there was a hint of hostility.

"That old bastard can rot in hell for all I care, **especially** after what he did to me."

His mind took him back to that train platform twelve years ago. A _holiday_ was what father had called it...a holiday to last a very long time. A holiday that resulted in himself being dumped on that platform with someone he barely knew, his father's back disappearing before him.

This was the event which snatched away any chance four year old Shinji could have ever had at a normal life.

 _I can not, and will not trust him. Not ever again._

All of a sudden, Rei turned round and moved to well within his personal space, her red eyes flashing with some sort of anger. The palm of her right hand impacted his cheek, leaving a bruise there.

As he stared at her in shock, she returned to her original position, and said nothing else for the rest of the journey.

It took five minutes for the escalator to reach the bottom, leaving Shinji to ponder just how vast NERV central was, whilst simultaneously resisting the urge to yell and froth at the mouth with rage.

 _How!?_ _ **How can you trust him!? Why would you defend him!?**_

His fist clenched and unclenched, as he limply stared into his shoes, not giving away the fact he was furious. Even if he'd failed in that task however, Rei would not have been bothered. She wasn't bothered by much to begin with.

Arriving at the bottom, the pair quickly walked through the labyrinth of corridors which would take them to NERV's cages where their respective Evangelion Units were held.

Arriving at the point where they would have to split off into changing rooms, he sighed, then raised his gaze.

"Um...Ayanami-san?" He said timidly, causing the blue haired girl in question to stop for a moment.

She was listening.

 _If you feel that way about father, then I'll keep my thoughts to myself._

"I'm sorry if I offended you earlier. I just don't get along with my father..." He forced out, only to be surprised when Rei's whisper of a voice responded.

"Very well. I shall approach the subject with greater caution in future."

Shinji's eyes widened in shock, frozen there as the thought of _she listened to me_ rolled through his head again and again.

He quickly had to snap himself out of it, as she'd started walking off again. For he did have one last thing to say.

"Hey...just...take care of yourself alright."

She quickly cast her gaze upon him. Were Shinji any good at reading people, he may well have seen a flash of curiosity in those red eyes. But with himself being himself, he did not.

He did however grasp Rei actually looking him in the eye was a signal of something important.

Before she continued on her way, she gave a slight nod. It wasn't much, but even he could see it, provoking a nervous yet genuine smile from him, and a nod in return.

And then, before he could think of anything else to say, the bluehead had disappeared around the corridor corner, quietly pondering the words this strange boy had said to her again.

 _Why do you care?_


	17. 4:3 Activation

_12:30pm, simulation area._

Having stripped off her school uniform, Rei slid on her white plug suit and pushed the wrist button, causing it to tighten around her slender frame. Nonchalantly, she made her way out of the changing rooms and into the cages, some small part of her mind thinking back to the last time she'd sat in an entry plug.

 _Anger, pain. Feelings I do not understand, and yet I felt them without feeling them. My failure will not occur again._ _ **She**_ _will not get the better of me._

Having been assisted into her entry plug by some technicians, she wrapped her hands around the control sticks. The plug sealed before being inserted into Unit 00's spine, with armour sliding over the entry point.

A multitude of colours flashed through the interior as the hud came online and her eyes synched to those of her steed, leaving Rei to peer down at the observation room. She knew most of the staff in there were nervous, and whilst she didn't understand fear, she knew a huge armoured fist smashing through reinforced glass would have a less than positive effect on the individual.

Along with them, she could see Sub Commander Akagi walking back and forth between monitor screens checking practically everything before they continued. And right at the front, almost touching the glass, was Commander Ikari.

It was as if there were nothing else in the room, his mere presence blotting out those of everyone else.

Rei knew just how much of a shadow the man could cast over those around him. A shadow so great that it was to shroud the world in darkness...

 _"Good afternoon, Ayanami-san. How are you feeling?"_ Ritsuko's face popped up on her video link.

"I am ready, Sub Commander." She acknowledged.

The faux blonde ran a hand through hair she thought may turn grey at some point in the near future, sighing.

"Alright. If anything even slightly goes wrong however, this test will be aborted. Take your time." She leaned back from the monitor and looked into the back of her commander.

"Sir?"

"Do it." He said coldly

Heeding this command of oh so few words, the Section 4 staff began to type into their various keyboards, with a few occasionally looking up at the gold and white titan with fear and apprehension.

"Establishing _Pilot Link_ in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..." Lieutenant Ibuki counted down as many tensed.

Except the commander of course.

Rei meanwhile closed her eyes and opened her mind, starting to feel the Eva's strength, power, and speed filter back into her. She was it as it was her. The thought of the last time she'd felt such power flashed through her mind, causing a few of the monitors in the room to start beeping.

 _"Ayanami-san?"_ Ritsuko immediately barked over the radio.

"It is under control, Sub Commander."

The beeping stopped and the measurements resumed normality.

"PL established. Commencing S2 Core activation." Maya called out as electricity and other, more indescribable energies were fed into the Eva, various noises made by the monitors notifying the staff of systems coming online.

 _And here's were it went wrong last time.._ Ritsuko lit a cigarette to calm her nerves, hand gently brushing the recently installed emergency override button.

Rei mulled over that particular memory, not through fear of course, but out of a desire to prevent **it** from happening again. The event which nearly cost the young pilot her life.

* * *

 _10:15am, Wednesday the 7th of June_

"Sub Commander, we have a problem." One of the staff called her over.

Today was a big day for NERV, as it was the very first activation of the first Eva they'd ever built.

Unit 00.

Despite being the prototype and predecessor for Unit 01, and being utterly out classed by Units 02 and 03 alone, the "old girl" as the staff liked to call it was still among the most powerful weapons in history. It was their work, and they took pride in it.

And today was its moment to shine.

Which was why Ritsuko was annoyed something wasn't going one hundred percent correctly. With the commander present, she was determined to get everything right today.

She didn't need him, as she kept telling herself, but would make damn sure the cold bastard king needed her.

"What is it?" She said harshly.

"PL link is acting kinda strange...increasing and decreasing..." He peered in a little more.

"Lieutenant, status on the pilot?"

"Pilot's vitals are fine...but cranial activity..." Maya stopped mid sentence and looked up, her complexion paling.

"We're getting feedback from the Eva."

Silence descended upon the room for a few moments, after which Ritsuko brought herself over to the comms seeing and hearing nothing but static, as the Evangelion lifted its head and stared at them.

"Ayanami-san, are you alright in there?" Ritsuko's voice became concerned.

No response.

"Cut the connection **now**!" She screamed as the monster made some sort of inhuman growl.

"Signal's not being received-"

" **Then cut the fucking power!** "

" _Hai_!" The sound of fingers on keyboards was frantic, with the Eva ripping its restraints off and lumbering towards them, armoured hand clamped firmly on its head as if nursing a headache.

"All non-essential staff, evacuate immediately! That includes you too, sir!" Ritsuko threw in the commander's direction, truthfully not caring much whether or not he heeded it. He simply stood there, nonchalantly, the non-essentials scrambling for the exit. This was further helped by a gargantuan fist impacting the window.

By some miracle sent by heaven itself, the glass bent but didn't break.

"We've done it, power is cut. S2 Core energy depleting in fifteen seconds...automated eject triggered!" Her gaze snapped up as the beast's back slid open.

 _Oh Spirits..._

The head of Section 4 and her staff could only stare on aghast as Unit 00's entry plug rocketed forth from the monster's back and directly into the wall. It careened against it then crashed to the floor. All of a sudden, the rampaging Eva faded from existence for Ritsuko. Right then and there, all she could see was that mangled entry plug lying on the floor.

 _Come on...she's more durable than any human...she'll be fine..._

At the point when the window nearly collapsed in on itself from the rogue Eva's furious assault, the monster's power ran out. Its fist remained implanted in the window, but it wasn't moving anymore, frozen in time.

"S2 core at zero percent power. Unit 00 is offline." Maya said, shaking.

The young Lieutenant spent a while trying to control her erratic breathing as she fought off a panic attack. In her flustered state, she, along with the rest of the staff, barely noticed Sub Commander Akagi disappearing through the door, white lab coat billowing behind her.

The faux blonde didn't usually run, but today was, as one can guess, different. Descending the staircase into the actual simulation room itself, she brought herself over to the broken entry plug with all due haste.

The emergency release hatch was dented, steam coming off it due to the sheer amount of heat produced by ejection.

Her first attempt to open it ended in failure, as the searing heat caused her to snarl in pain. But Ritsuko, never being one for giving up, grit her teeth, curled her fingers around the latch and pulled hard.

It burned, it burned so much. But she didn't let go. Eventually and with great effort, the latch came undone, causing a river of LCL to flood out of it.

Leaning in through the hatch, a pair of green eyes fixed themselves upon a battered and broken girl.

The unearthly child raised her own weak red gaze to meet hers.

The two didn't say a word to one another.

Ritsuko sighed, nodded, then murmured a quick "okay."

 _She's lucky to even be alive...it's going to take more than a dip in the rejuvenation tank to fix this..._

Gently, she hauled the badly wounded albino from the plug, too focused on the current situation to notice her commander had not moved a muscle, despite the armoured glass in front of him being broken.

Nor had his eyes displayed a hint of compassion or worry for the _thing_ which was the clone of his wife. In fact, the blue orbs remained the same as they always were.

Cold as ice and uncaring as the Universe.

* * *

 _12:45pm, Friday the 30th of June_

"Power at one hundred percent. PL is established and solid. Unit 00 has been activated." Maya relayed with a sigh of relief as the staff applauded and cheered.

All save for two.

Whilst Gendo simply observed, hands folded behind his back, Ritsuko was communing with the young pilot.

"Any issues to report?" She said.

"No Sub Commander." Rei answered.

"Are you sure?"

"There have been a few minor problems with my lower left rib. It will not affect my duties."

The faux blonde breathed in deeply through her nose.

 _Minor problems_ usually meant broken or fractured in Rei speak.

"I'll get you some pain killers as soon as we're finished up here...take your time with the rest of the test." She cut the comms and scowled straight into her commander's back.

 _I_ _ **told you**_ _twenty days wouldn't be enough!_

Knowing however the task at hand deserved her entire attention, she dropped her gaze and returned to work.

Over the next fifteen minutes or so, with the _Pilot Link_ established, Rei's synchronising with Unit 00 was constantly monitored, percentages fluctuating only in a minor manner between fifty-eight and sixty-five percent.

"That's good...very good." Ritsuko muttered to herself as she fished out another cigarette from her pocket and lit it, producing smoke that caused some people to cough and splutter.

 _Yes I_ _ **know**_ _it's not any good for me, but hell, we'll all probably be dead soon enough so why not?_

"Begin movement tests." The commander's voice caused many to look up in shock, and for the Sub Commander to snap her cigarette in half.

"Commander...with all due respect...I think it's miraculous we've even activated Unit 00 without trouble, it's always been the most unstable one. I would recommend we take it a little more slowly-" She stopped mid sentence when Gendo fixed his gaze upon her.

" _Hai_." She metaphorically ground her teeth.

Noticing the clicking of keyboards had stopped, she took a look at her paling staff who'd watched the contest of egos with some apprehension, fearing a full blown argument.

"What are you all looking at? No one told you to stop working!" She snapped at them, causing the twelve or so people in the room to type away again, as the various restraints on the Eva began to unlock.

Looking back at her superior, Ritsuko was now confronted with his back.

 _Good, I don't like looking at you these days anyway..._

"Ayanami-san, we're going to be carrying out some movement tests. Don't exert yourself, just take things one step at a time." She relayed.

" _Ryokai_."

She waited for Maya to pull up the various steps of a movement test on her monitor, then began reading them out.

"Alright, to start with I'd like you to take one step forward..."

* * *

 _1:15pm, cages._

Synch tests were becoming normal by now.

All he had to do, was sit in his Eva, close his eyes, empty his mind of thoughts, and then the Sub Commander would tell him he had a synch rate of sixty-seven percent. Apparently not quite that of some of his "colleagues" elsewhere in the world, but impressive for someone who'd only started piloting some weeks ago.

He often pondered the fact he'd apparently be joined by other Eva pilots soon enough. With Rei back on active duty, and an entire fleet carrying a further two Evangelions to Japan, he felt nervous and excited.

The thought of having to socialise with "comrades" was unnerving, but the idea he wouldn't have to face the Seraphim by himself...was a relief.

Having finished his own synch test some five minutes prior, Eva Unit 01 was being lowered back into the bowls of NERV, with Shinji sitting tight inside, his plug suit driving him mad as usual.

The was a loud clunk and jolt as the Eva slid into place and the restraints closed around it. It would take another five minutes for his plug to be removed, the job being easy within NERV central itself.

In the meantime, Shinji could sit there and watch the world go by through the eyes of his own drivable weapon of mass destruction.

On the other side of the room, stood Unit 00.

He'd never seen the other Eva before, and it intimidated him. It's strange machine like head with single eye appeared to stare into his soul, rather different from the more human looking Unit 01 that only made him feel slightly uneasy these days.

Looking a little more closely, he focused on a figure having just gotten out of the entry plug attached to the golden titan. A figure with blue hair and white plugsuit.

And then, to his complete surprise, on the connecting cat walk, strolled his father.

 _What is_ _ **he**_ _doing here?_

Upon noticing him, Rei gracefully jumped down from her plug and went over to Gendo. The two talked for a little, with the commander maintaining his ice cold expression, and the albino... **smiling**.

Shinji's eyes widened in shock as his father nodded in response, then gave a microscopic smile himself.

 _Son of_ _ **bitch**_ _!_ His subconscious snarled as the two parted ways.

 _He smiled for her...he's never done that for me...never..._

He let his emotions bubble and boil whilst his plug was retrieved from Unit 01. LCL was vented, allowing him to breathe actual air again, which was a relief. For he was beginning to **hate** that orange goop.

The top of the plug slid off, allowing artificial light to cascade through, causing him to blink a few times as his eyes readjusted to not being synchronised with his Eva.

Stretching out in a manner that caused his bones to satisfyingly click, he stood up and stepped onto the cat walk to which his plug was now attached. Around him, dozens of technicians ran around doing things he didn't know about. Nor really cared.

However, standing a few metres away, was someone he did care about.

"Sixty-seven percent synch, not bad at all, Shinji-kun. You're improving." Misato smiled with her arms folded.

"Thanks...I guess..." His gaze drifted back to Unit 00, the bluehead he sought having vanished.

"Something on your mind?"

"No...no...it's nothing..." He awkwardly swept the question under the rug and walked over to Misato, forcing a smile. Which faded away when he saw her raised eyebrow.

"What?"

She chuckled and shook her head.

"Shinji-kun, it wasn't so long ago that I was a teenager. I **know** what trying to avoid a question sounds like. So...what's up?" She put across in the friendly and open manner he liked. And felt compelled to tell the truth whenever queried by it. Much to his irritation.

"Gah...it's just...seeing father...with Ayanami-san...it's kinda..." His shoulders slumped a little, his eyes dropped to the floor, a sigh escapin his lips.

"Upsetting?" Misato offered.

"Yes..."

"If it's any consolation, I think you're kind of lucky."

Shinji's mind shattered into a million pieces, as he fought every inch to scream back.

 _ **Lucky!?**_ _How is anything in my life fucking lucky? I've lost things you will_ _ **never**_ _understand, I've seen fucking_ _ **horrors,** Katsuragi_ _-san, so don't tell me I'm lucky!_

And then all those thoughts disappeared when she spoke again.

"The commander is a difficult man at the best of times. I can barely stand working with him...but living with him? Spirits I wouldn't be able to cope with it..." She dwelt on the numerous briefings she'd had to have with him in his ridiculous office, huge symbols of western religions she didn't understand etched into the ceiling and floor.

 _Pompous bastard thinks he's better than everyone else. How are you his son?_

Misato could draw no comparisons between the two, the quiet but kind young man who'd kept her apartment tidier than it had ever been before without giving a thought to reward, was incomparable with the equally quiet, but far more domineering and straight up creepy old man who sat above everyone else.

The JSA didn't call him "the bastard king" without reason.

Shinji found there was some truth to her words, inwardly shuddering over the thought of living with his father. Perhaps...some approval might be appreciated, but his cold and uncaring sperm donor showing any open affection for him? With the bridges between the two firmly burned, it would just seem forced. And it would take a lot for him to accept, given just how much hate he felt.

 _But he wasn't always like that..._

"Maybe." Was all he could manage to say.

"And on top of that...they're creepy together aren't they?" Misato added.

"Yes."

Whilst a little part of him did feel some envy for Rei, the rest of him felt chills run down his spine at the mere thought of Gendo's smile. Something wasn't right with that, and that's without her being a clone of his mother...

 _ **No.**_ _That's ridiculous, even father couldn't be capable of doing that...could he?_

However, Shinji Ikari would not have time to dwell on this. For at that moment, the alarms to blared.

 _"Code blue, I repeat code blue has been declared. Seraph has been detected, and is inbound to our location, all personnel to battle stations level one immediately!"_ Caspar's voice boomed, in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

Once he got over the initial shock of all the sounds shrieking, he realised what was about to happen. His heart skipped a beat for a few seconds before he steeled himself.

 _I've killed two before, I can kill_ _ **this one**_ _._

He was shocked by his confidence, even more so by his legs fearfully yet automatically carrying him back over to the entry plug. It was as if...it were natural by now.

"Prep Unit 01 for launch, I'll be on the command bridge!" Misato barked at the technicians, disappearing into one of the lifts.

* * *

 _1:30pm, Tokyo-3, economic district_

Ramiel hovered towards her target, senses darting back and forth to detect energy or movement.

Some of the Voor sky ships had been shadowing her for a while, perhaps thinking they were out of range.

Horribly wrong, but she had a thing against killing living creatures that weren't trying to do her any harm. For there simply was no sport in hunting the helpless.

But unlike Sachiel, the Divine Lord's finest hunter would kill you in a heartbeat if she so much as detected hostility. Unlike Shamshel however, she didn't kill to slake blood lust.

Out of the eldest three, Ramiel was the most mature, having even found one with which she shared the bond and started a family, unlike her elder brothers who devoted themselves to the many arts of war.

 _ **They were always the better swordsmen...gods I miss them.**_

Anger flooded into her mind.

 _ **You'll pay for that Vooren**_ _._

The crystal blue octahedron decelerated as she came over Tokyo-3's skyline. According to the Fist's sources, every single previous attack by her people upon humanity had been met with a useless but gargantuan amount of fire power.

Now there was nothing to be seen.

 _ **Hunt the prey for long enough, and it starts to learn.**_

Suddenly, her senses tingled as energy soared towards her from beneath the ground.

 _ **I see...Purple Devil...killer of my brothers...come to me.**_

The purple titan popped forth the ground, with Ramiel instantly angling her pattern of attack to its left.

 _ **Less obstruction, it'll go that way.**_

But it didn't. The Eva stood perfectly still. Perhaps the most unwise thing any prey could do in front of a warrior race's greatest hunter.

A shrill laugh echoed through the Divine Heir's mind.

 _ **Oh how a hunter loves a target who stays still.**_


	18. 5:1 Death by fire

_"It is now, with great and certain confidence, that I can declare total victory over the vile, capitalist State of Japan, and the liberation of the Japanese people!"  
_

 _ **Dong Wang, President of the People's Republic of China, and the People's Republics of Asia, August 1st 2005AD.**_

* * *

 _1:30pm, central plaza_

It seemed like the Seraphim weren't running out of ways to amaze him.

Shinji could feel his mind contort in on itself as he beheld a giant diamond hovering roughly a kilometre away _simply exist_.

 _Just what the hell are these things?_

Owing to the surprising speed of the Seraph, evacuations weren't complete yet, so there were still dozens, perhaps hundreds of civilians running around his feet, all in a panic to get to safety. Men, women, and children. Old, young, and weak.

Once more, they were relying on him.

 _How bad must things be if the world has to depend on_ _ **me again**_ _?_

Suddenly, there was a little flash of light on the edge of the Seraph. He squinted to see it, realising it was getting brighter and brighter with each passing moment.

 _Shit, shit, shit, shit!_ His subconscious began to desperately try and reach for the control sticks, but he wouldn't let it.

 _No, I'm not losing control. I'll wait for orders..._

 _"Alright, Shinji-kun, we're sending up a pallet rifle for you. You'll get it, you'll close to range and you will kill that thin-"_ Misato's said, before the sound of Lieutenant Ibuki yelling _"Energy spike detected!"_ interrupted.

The boy felt his blood run cold at those words, seeing that glinting on the Seraph not disappearing...and pointing at him.

There were some mutters of "oh _Spirits_ " in the background, before Misato's voice drowned them out.

 _"_ _ **Shinji move!**_ _"_

Too late.

Unit 01's A-T field flashed protectively for a few insignificant moments as it was struck by invisible energy, only to be overwhelmed with ease. Then there was nothing but pain and screaming for Shinji.

* * *

Ramiel had patiently waited for her prey to move, despite being quite sure the purple titan wasn't so much as exercising a muscle anytime soon.

 _ **Do you have a death wish, Voor?**_

Her original shot was meant to cripple her foe, but with all the extra time given it was nothing short of a kill shot now. Nothing short of what she brought down " _Llaa Tsreitf"_ with all those years ago.

Her concentrated energy blast cut straight through the enemy wall of light like a knife through butter.

 _ **This is no hunt...this is target practice...**_

* * *

Every one of his senses were on fire. It seemed as if his very lungs and heart were melting, and at any second he would scream up the liquefied and bubbling remains of his vital organs.

Not only that, but Ramiel's beam was getting in quite close proximity to him, therefore the plug itself was heating up fast. Yet even with alarms blaring and desperate attempts at communication from the combat bridge, the only thing Shinji could hear was his own screaming.

He was going to die in here.

The confidence he'd possessed earlier had vanished, now there was only a sixteen year old boy begging whatever deity was listening to make the pain stop. And then the final layer of armour failed.

" **Father help me!** " Were he not in some of the worst pain any human being has ever felt, he may have chastised himself for even thinking such a thing, let alone saying it.

But his contorted in agony mind, was in no position to do that.

Eventually and inevitably the pain was too much for the wimpy young man. His world turned to black, accompanied by a lullaby of his own death screams.

* * *

"Get him out of there, now!" Misato barked, struggling to maintain her cool. For Shinji's cries of anguish were something that got to her unlike anything else.

" _Hai_ , lowering Eva lift!" First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga quickly attended to the task with diligence and professionalism. As was to be expected of Misato's _right hand man_.

* * *

The Eva was lowered back into the ground, Ramiel's beam searing the upper part of Unit 01's body as it did so.

 _ **Coward.**_

She let her power fade away, continuing on her current course, carefully keeping an eye on the surrounding area in case her foe reappeared.

Satisfied nothing else was breathing in her immediate vicinity, she took a hovering position over the heart of Tokyo-3. Channelling her energy into the ground below, Ramiel began to burn her way into NERV central.

Towards the thing which prevented the return of her people.

 _ **Not long now, my little Rezel, soon you'll play in the green fields like I promised.**_

* * *

 _1:33pm, NERV Central, cages._

Misato gripped the safety rail as the plug was withdrawn from Unit 01. The hatch slid open, and there lay Shinji, eyes closed, his body limp.

Quickly, she hurried over to the plug's docking area, where multiple Section 4 and Section 5 personnel were on stand by. By the time the purplehead reached them, her charge was already being lifted onto a hospital bed by a burly Section 3 trooper.

"I—is he okay?" She found herself stammering.

"We've got a pulse but it's faint. We'll get him into a rejuvenation chamber." A Section 5 nurse said quickly, as Shinji's lifeless body was carted off.

The combat operations director stood there for a while, slowly breathing. A few seconds of slow judgement on their part, and he'd nearly died.

Before this, the Impact survivor had only just managed to keep her conscious suppressed on the subject of using a child soldier to fight eldritch abominations. But now, the thought of his cold form inside a rejuvenation chamber, rhythmic heartbeat monitor beeping, was almost too much to bear.

 _Got to stay focused, for his sake..._

New stratagems started to run through her head, as Misato tried to figure out just how the hell NERV would be victorious this time.

 _This one totalled an Eva in a few seconds, we'll have to take it by surprise somehow. And even if we get Shinji-kun healed in time I don't know if he'll be wanting to pilot Unit 01 again. That means we'll have to send out..._

"Lieutenant Colonel?" A whisp of a voice made the battle hardened soldier jump.

For standing directly to her left was Rei.

"Yes, Ayanami-san. What can I do for you?" She felt herself go rigid over being in the mere presence of the animated bag of flesh. Not that Misato hated her, or wished any harm, but she didn't like talking to the ethereal **thing**. A monstrosity of science that should not exist.

"Permission to be temporarily relieved of duty. I wish to spend some time in the medical ward..." Red eyes stared directly at the doors through which Shinji had disappeared moments ago.

"Permission granted. Just be on alert."

Rei hurried off.

 _Hurried?_ The purplehead was truly confused.

 _Is it...concerned?_

"Lieutenant Colonel!" Misato turned to face her out of breath First Lieutenant who had run all the way from the command bridge.

"What is it, Hyuga-san?"

"You...heh...might want to...heh...see this."

* * *

 _2:30pm, medical ward_

"Spirits forgive us." Tenka muttered to himself.

 _Hoped you'd never have to come in here again, boy._ He inwardly sighed, as the beeping which represented the heart-beat of Shinji Ikari echoed around the room.

"Lucky to even be alive, the shock should have been far too much for him..."

This brought back bad memories. He'd prayed he'd never have to treat a child again, not after that dreadful day in the aftermath of Tokyo-2's destruction when he'd had to put that baby girl with fourth degree burns out of her squealing misery.

 _Damned Tokuajin._

Pushing that aside, he comforted himself with the knowledge that whilst the young man's brain was simulating the pain of burning, his body had at least suffered no damage.

He would heal, but whether or not he'd want to get back into the thing that nearly became his tomb, was another matter.

Tenka stepped away from the rejuvenation tank, rubbing the back of his neck before turning to his _guest_.

"He's not going to wake up for a few hours, Ayanami-san. Can I get you anything? You'll be here for a while."

"I do not require sustenance for now, Sub Commander." Rei said in her nearly non-existent voice.

 _I should feel nothing. I was grown, I am a product, a tool, not a living being. The purpose of my existence is to serve the Commander's scenario...so why..._

Tenka nodded and returned to monitoring his patient.

Those ruby eyes would continue their silent vigil over Yui Ikari's child for hours to come.

 _...do I care?_


	19. 5:2 The plan

_2:40pm, NERV Central command bridge_

"How long?" Misato stared at the display of NERV's failing armour layers with her arms folded.

"Twelve hours...maybe fourteen if we're lucky?" Makoto said despairingly.

The silence on the bridge was deathly, as every single staff member immediately dwelt on their mortality.

Save for Commander Ikari, where none where sure about what went on in his mind. She herself could only feel shocked at how he'd reacted to his only child's very near death screams.

With a face and heart unmoving as stone.

Ritsuko meanwhile, took another look at the screen, tsked, then lit another cigarette.

First Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba muttered the words "well isn't that just fucking perfect" before returning to typing on his keyboard.

The purplehead massaged her eyes, sighing.

"Get every bit of intel we have together. This is going to be a long brainstorm..." she turned away from the display and walked off, calling out "briefing room, fifteen minutes."

 _Why can't anything,_ _ **ever**_ _, be simple?_ Her subconscious grumbled.

They'd been screwed.

Royally screwed.

Whilst they still did have an active Eva in reserve, it would be obliterated if it was deployed against the Seraph right now. Not to mention Unit 00 was antiquated compared to the more recent models, such as 02 and 03, with even 01 itself being far superior in terms of combat.

 _Oh why the hell can't they be here now?_ Misato cursed the Evas and their ability to wreck air travel. Their impossibly strong A-T fields interfered with those of the things that could carry them, namely FCVs, which would cause them to plummet into the ground and explode into a million fragments of failure and wasted money.

So they had to be transported via land or sea.

Various section members saluted as she strode past in her red uniform, giving quick nods of acknowledgement in return.

Arriving at the room, she opened the door and walked in, taking in the dark, dull and metal atmosphere of this large cuboid. There was no difference of any kind, just drab and grey.

Pulling out a seat for herself, Misato sat down and ran a hand through her hair.

 _How the fuck are we going to get out of this one?_

She leaned back, crossing her legs and arms, closing her eyes so as to devout her whole cranial capacity to the formation of a plan.

Exactly ten minutes later, the relevant staff filed in, taking their respective seats. Some cast a quick eye over the Lieutenant Colonel who appeared to be asleep, but the slow opening of her brown eyes, coming out of a deep meditation, caused them to look away.

"Is this every-" She had to stop mid sentence when Commander Ikari and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki walked through. As in, the old man walked, whilst Gendo almost glided.

 _Probably on the winds of bastardry..._ Misato mused, then turned her mind to the problem at hand.

"Right, that thing basically sliced through one of the most powerful A-T fields ever created like a machete through A4 paper. How do we kill it?"

"We don't know." Makoto shrugged.

"Well tell me what you **do** know." The combat operations director felt her patience be stretched. It was bad enough they'd known the monster was coming, even worse that it had very nearly killed her charge, and could sit pretentiously directly above them without the forces of humanity being able to lift a finger to stop it.

Ritsuko took one last puff of her cigarette, shaking the smoke away.

"From what we can tell the Seraphim can detect energy. How, we don't know, but this one is different. It doesn't just sense things from over a mile away, it folds its A-T field into the most powerful energy beam ever recorded-"

"How do you know it can do that from a mile away? It was much closer than that when it took out Unit 01..." Misato's words melted away as an awkward silence fell upon the room.

"What have I missed?"

Maya coughed, then replied.

"Well, Lieutenant Colonel, whilst you were gone the HIJMS Kenshin attempted to make an attack run on the 6th Seraph...it was obliterated before it even got within seventeen-hundred metres of it. All hands were lost..." Her shoulders slumped. Maya hated seeing people get hurt.

Let alone die.

 _How many more good people do we have to lose before we rid ourselves of this_ _ **plague**_ _._ Misato's subconscious snarled.

"Why don't we coordinate with the fleet? They hit it with positronic bombardment, then we rush Unit 00 in to finish the job?"

Ritsuko chuckled at that, before gently nudging her apprentice. Maya gulped nervously.

"Our scans indicate the Seraph's blast does have a cool down, but it's only a matter of seconds. Not only that, but Seraphim have shrugged off positronic bombardment before. And with this one..." she went quiet for a moment, as if accepting doom.

"Nothing would ever get close enough to kill it up front."

Misato tapped her finger for a while, thinking.

"Then we need to find a way to scramble its senses. I'm guessing an EMP wouldn't work?"

"No...but..." Ritsuko frowned in concentration.

"But?"

"Perhaps, _Subject Creatrix_ could be used for that..."

"It could." Gendo's voice caused everyone to turn in his direction.

"The power it wields is beyond our imagination. I believe it certainly could be used to mask an operation, perhaps even blind our enemy. But to do what, Lieutenant Colonel?"

Chills went down her spine as the bastard king's eyes seared her soul. It was good to have his attention and involvement, but she didn't want to be under his gaze for too long.

"I was thinking, Commander, that perhaps we could mount a ranged assault on the 6th Seraph. Tenka-sensei informs me that Shinji-kun will be conscious again soon enough, which means we should be able to field two Evangelions."

"Even if we could do that... **we don't have** a weapon capable of cutting though a Seraph's A-T field. In the past, Evas had to get close to neutralise one. We can't do that here. It's almost impossible..." Makoto nervously fiddled with his papers, desperate to avoid his superior officer's ire.

Which he somehow managed.

"It may be almost impossible...but it's the best we've got." Misato leaned back in her seat and sighed.

A quiet cough caused a silence of the grave to fall upon the world.

"Actually, Lieutenant Colonel..." Gendo said with a hint of a smile.

"It may not be _almost impossible_ after all..."

* * *

 _3:00pm, Fukoaka, Defence Board Headquarters, General's office_

This day was awful.

Not only had a Seraph taken out the "weapon with which our people will survive" in one shot, but it had also obliterated yet another precious Susanoo, was now hovering over the capital city and blasting its way into NERV Central, and Parliament and the Emperor himself were trapped there. This nightmare scenario was worsened by NERV demanding that Japan hand over its latest top secret weapon. A weapon the damned organization really shouldn't have known about.

"How...did you even find out about it?" General Motichka massaged her eye-lids as the hologram of Gendo Ikari stared pretentiously at her.

Within her simple office, it's only distinguishing features being the flags at her sides and a painting of the battle of Osaka on the wall , Chiso felt immensely annoyed that even here the bastard king deigned to command her.

 _"I have my resources...now, will you be willing to relinquish it, or must I get the UN to put through a requisition order?"_ He put bluntly.

Motichka clenched her fist and took a deep breath.

"You enjoy provoking me don't you?"

Gendo remained silent.

The General explosively sighed, then ran a hand through her short brown hair.

"Even if I did give it to you...we haven't even powered it up yet, let alone fired it. The damn thing might just do more damage than a Seraph ever could if it malfunctions."

 _"The Positron Rifle was designed to knock FCVs from the heavens. With some extra modifications, I believe it may be the only ranged weapon capable of getting through a Seraph's A-T field."_

 _The bastard always gets what he wants..._ Motichka inwardly snarled, but slowly nodded her head.

"Very well. I see we have no choice. Although I struggle to think how we might transport it to NERV Central, especially with the air space locked down."

 _"We shall take care of it."_

Chiso really couldn't tell what thoughts resided behind those glasses, and to be frank she didn't want to.

It was unfathomable to her, how many women found this pompous man attractive. How two generations of Akagis had fallen under his sway and had been destroyed, was beyond her.

 _Stupid whores...total disgraces to the home islands._

To be frank the only thoughts Gendo's face summoned for her, was the sweet idea of shoving a Hitokuchi into his forehead and pulling the trigger.

 _One day Ikari,_ _ **one day**_ _._

"But how...oh never mind. Well, do you need me for anything else, Commander?" The General said sardonically.

 _"No, I have no further use for you. You are dismissed."_ The hologram faded, finally leaving Motichka to slam her fist down on the table.

"Damned upstart! Just who the **hell** does he think he is!?" She stormed around her office, venting all the rage and hate she felt for this man who had her country wrapped around his little finger, terrifying the Guards standing just outside the door.

Eventually calming down, Motichka flopped back into her chair, and began pressing the buttons on her touch screen phone to contact " _Site Ieyasu,_ " to inform them the fruits of their labour were now to be snatched away.

 _All that hard work...it would have made Japan impractical to attack from the air...damned NERV...damned Seraphim...  
_  
Her eyebrows narrowed.

 _One day Ikari, the UN won't be around to protect you. And on that day_ _ **I will be waiting**_ _._

* * *

 _5:00pm, NERV Central_

"I can't believe he managed it..." Misato whispered as she walked through one of NERV's many corridors, specifically the one which would lead to the outer VTOL pad where a JSA _Kaze_ waited to take her to _Site Ieyasu_. The government's top secret weapons testing and development facility. A place she imagined the Defence Board were reluctant to allow them in.

The Commander, through some miracle, had managed to convince the JSA to work with them. Despite all the misgivings the armed forces of Japan had for NERV, they had agreed to put that aside for now.

 _A common enemy brings everyone together in the end I suppose..._

Her thoughts were distracted by her phone ringing however. Pulling it out of her pocket, Misato froze upon seeing the name _Tenka_ flash up.

 _Shinji-kun..._

Pressing the answer button, she held the phone to her ear.

"Tenka-sensei, what is it?"

 _"Ikari-san is out of the rejuvenation chamber. He'll be regaining consciousness in a matter of minutes."_

Misato breathed a sigh of relief before asking the question she really wanted to ask.

"How is he?"

 _"Physically he's fine but..."_

"But?"

The doctor sighed.

 _"You must understand that he is first and foremost, a child. Considering what is to be asked of him, and what has already been asked of him, I severely doubt he will Pilot Unit 01 again. I believe it very likely he's been traumatised by his previous action."_

The silence hung on the phone, the purplehead reaching the open air VTOL pad in the meantime, engines of her transport slowly firing up.

"Just...just keep him there until I get back alright. I'll figure something out..." She trailed off and hit the end call button.

 _Shinji-kun, don't give up. We need you now...more than ever...all of us..._

She slipped the phone back into her trouser pocket and boarded the Kaze, doors sliding shut behind her. The VTOL roared as it took off, swiftly screaming into the heavens and increasing its distance from the Seraph which could annihilate it in seconds. Fortunately, they were far out of range.

Or unbeknown to them, Ramiel took no interest. For why should a hunter be bothered by a fly?

Having strapped herself in, Misato leaned her head into the headrest, eyes closing as she exhaled through her nose.

 _Always hated flying..._

Lacing her fingers together, the thirty year old decided to sleep through the half an hour long flight, her thoughts dwelling on the young man whom she'd come to care about lying in a chamber filled with LCL.

 _How the hell am I getting you back inside that plug..._ her eyebrows knitted together suddenly.

 _We need to destroy the Seraphim at any cost...so why don't I want him to be a part of all this anymore?_


	20. 5:3 Awakening

_05:30pm, medical ward_

What happened?

He didn't remember much, as consciousness made its unwelcome return.

 _I was piloting the Eva...there was a Seraph attack..._ Then things he really didn't want to feel coursed through his memory.

 _Light...heat...pain...death._

Shinji awoke with a yelp of fear.

He was in a hospital room, one of NERV's. The same overpowering artificial light was something of a giveaway. Sitting up slowly, he found his body, his naked body, shaking.

 _It hurt...it hurt so much._

Now he was rubbing his chest, expecting to find horrific burns like the ones he'd seen at those refugee camps during the Pacific War. But there were fortunately no great patches of singed and blackened flesh covering the area over his heart. Just normal skin.

 _No boiling...no melting...no bubbling..._

He felt weak, but the idea of falling asleep and going back into his personal realm of nightmares, was not something he found appealing. So he positioned himself against the headrest of his bed, propping himself up with a pillow.

For minutes on end all he did was breathe deeply. In and out. As if trying to exorcise himself of all his fears, a few clenchings of the fist being an echo of his mother's teachings on how to deal with such feelings. Even then, with memory of his mother in mind, Shinji didn't stop being afraid.

Neither did he stop shaking.

The room's door slid open as Tenka walked in.

"I bet you didn't want to wake up in here again, did you?" He said sadly, hands clasped behind his back.

Shinji didn't say anything, he just stared down at his balled fists, absorbed by his fears.

The doctor brought himself over to the bedside, standing just beside it. A look of concern in his gruff brown eyes.

"Right, I'll cut to the chase as I know you don't like being asked questions." He managed to smile before continuing.

"Physically you are unharmed...but I haven't been able to account for the psychological damage..."

"I...I...remember. It hurt..." Shinji croaked.

" _It hurt_. I've seen men go mad from much less than that, some not even being able to walk or talk anymore. You're a tough little sod aren't you?"

"I don't feel tough."

"Well the fact you can even _feel_ is a good sign. But tell me...how do you feel in _yourself_?"

"I...I..." The boy stammered, as he tried to describe his position. But it was more difficult than usual, especially after...

Then the thing that did this to him, came to mind.

"It's still there...isn't it?" He whimpered, eyes widening in terror.

"You mean the Seraph? Yes...yes it is..." The doctor said darkly, reflecting on just how the hell humanity was going to survive this one, let alone the eleven yet to come.

Very quickly however, his senses informed him his patient's breathing was increasing.

"It's waiting for me...I can't go back out there...I can't...it'll kill me... **it'll kill me!** " Shinji's voice rose to a scream as he rocked back and forth, sweat trickling down his forehead, tears gushing from his widened with fear cerulean eyes.

" **Shinji** , focus on me, ignore everything else and do exactly as I tell you. Breath deeply and slowly, can you do that?" Tenka said firmly, placing a strong hand on the boy's shoulder.

Some of the other section 5 staff dashed in, only for him to raise a hand and quietly shoo them away. A pair of red eyes poked around the corner, forcing the doctor give them a look of "you too."

The albino's gaze disappeared.

 _Don't crowd him, but let him know I'm here and wait for it to pass._

Shinji's breathing eventually slowed, to only the occasional whimper.

"That's it...that's it..." Tenka's hand didn't once leave the young man's shoulder.

 _Full blown panic attack. He's terrified._

The boy's head hung low, those previous tears dripping onto the sheets.

Earlier in his panic, he had accidentally thrown them back a little, leaving a certain area...exposed. Tenka chose not to point this out, as Shinji wa certainly not in the right place for it.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." He whispered.

"Sorry? Nothing to be sorry for." Tenka patted him on the back.

"I'm going to be honest. They do want you back in the Eva, they've come up with a plan to kill that thing above us...but even then it's your choice. There's still a few hours before the operation begins, plenty of time to think."

No response.

"I'll let you rest." He left that thought with Shinji, before standing up and leaving.

And thus the wimpy brown head thought about the subject at hand, without melting down again.

 _It'll kill me...but I guess that was always a risk, I just didn't realize how much of one it was until today..._

He ran a hand through his mousey hair and quietly sighed.  
 _  
I was scared when I did it the first time, but now...that's the closest I've ever come to actually dying. I don't want to feel that again, but if I don't pilot it...Oh I was so stupid, "I've killed two before, I can kill this one?" How could I ever...as if I could...gah, stupid..._

He quickly reassured himself.

 _No. Ayanami-san's better now, she wouldn't mess up like I would. The world's safer with her...I hope she'd understand...I'd just get more people killed. They don't need me anymore, no one does._

"Pilot Ikari." A quiet voice with which he was all too familiar, caused Shinji to jump.

Pushing a hospital table in, packaged plugsuit under arm, was Rei Ayanami.

Unknown to him, she had not left the medical ward in hours, keeping a constant watch on him. In fact, in her own way, she had insisted on the performing of this "duty."

"Oh...hey, Ayanami-san. I didn't know you were here..." Shinji stammered as she wheeled the trolley over to his bedside.

"I have brought you sustenance." She stated.

 _I can see that._ He inwardly chuckled, not having the strength to actually do it. This bluntness and total lack of subtlety was so very much Rei. Bizarrely, it could be said this near void of personality, could count as a personality in itself.

"Thanks." Shinji weakly nodded, before she dumped the plugsuit on the bed.

"Your suit."

He looked at it with a sullen expression, sighing and letting his shoulders slump.

"Ayanami-san...I..."

"You do not wish to do it."

"...Yes." He nodded, ashamed.

"Why?"

He huffed for a few moments as he struggled to think of something to say back, before the words spilled forth.

"Because I'm scared alright. I've never been more scared in my life. I almost died out there and **my father didn't even-** " He stopped himself, his expression turning into one of horror.

 _ **No, I don't want anything from him! Nothing at all! He left me on that platform like I was trash, I don't want his recognition, I don't want his love!**_

"Then it is fear of death that drives you?" Rei said.

"Heh...yeah...I always thought my life was worthless. But...as pathetic as it is...I don't want to lose it. And anyway-" He gingerly made eye contact with her again.

"You're better at it. NERV needs you, not me."

"But my Pilot Link is inferior to yours..."

"Damn it, you know what I mean. You aren't a coward, you aren't dishonest, you aren't sneaky...and you aren't a wimp." He trailed off. The albino merely blinked.

"For the operation against the 6th Seraph to proceed at maximum efficiency, both Units 00 and 01 are required. If you do not Pilot the Eva, then chances of the Seraphim's victory increase by a significant percentage, as does your chance of death. Therefore, it is more logical for you to fight." Her voice never rose or fell, but her words hit him harder than anything harsh or cold.

It was the truth.

And Shinji hated how the thought of self preservation might be the only thing capable of motivating him to get back in the Eva.

"The operation begins in five hours. You have until then to make a decision..." Her red gaze angled downwards and stopped at a specific point.

"You may wish to pull your sheets up."

He looked confused for a moment, before realising his underparts were feeling far too cool for having sheets upon them. Shrieking in embarrassment and yanking them over his _low calibre main gun_ , he missed watching Rei walk out the room, despite his wish to say more to her.

The boy was alone again.

* * *

 _6:00pm, Command bridge_

"So...how dead are we this time?" First Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba fiddled with his fingers whilst lying back in his chair.

"Hopefully not that much." Makoto replied curtly, as he attempted to focus on his work.

"Willing to bet on that?" The long haired misanthrope chuckled.

"No. You have fleeced me **enough**." The bespectacled Otaku adjusted his glasses.

 _Could never see shit without these things_

"Hmph, you're no fun. What about you, Ibuki-san?" Shigeru called out to the timid twenty-six year old.

"I don't like to think about it..." She dismissed him.

"...But you have thought about it?"

"Oh shut up."

He laughed a little, getting a few uneasy looks from the other staff.

"Fine. But in the end what difference does it make? I mean we're all going to die anyway so what's there to be afraid of?" He pointed out in his insufferable "you know I'm right" voice.

"Eh, the difference is I don't want to give you bragging rights when we're spirits." Makoto's comment caused the three to chuckle.

"Perceptive as always, Hyuga-san..." Shigeru folded his arms behind his head and started whistling.

Loudly, and annoyingly.

Eventually, Makoto sighed in irritation and relented.

" **Alright**. I think we're going to be okay. Katsuragi-san knows what she's doing."

Shigeru leaned forward with a sly grin.

"Speaking of which, how is your on-going quest to get in between her legs coming along?"

"Uh...gah...none of your business." Makoto hissed, whilst Maya giggled.

"Don't know what you're laughing at. You're trying to do the same with Sub Commander Akagi aren't you?" The long haired thirty-two year old raised a brown eyebrow, as his female colleague's giggles stopped and her cheeks turned a tinge of bright red. Having taken his humour in the situation, Shigeru turned his gaze upon the massive monitor, which presented the image of the 6th Seraph hovering over the city, it's energy blasts slowly cutting through the many layers of armour.

"So...what do you think they are?"

There was a groan from the other two.

"How many times do we need to do this Aoba-san? We don't know what they are. They are meant to be completely beyond our comprehension, and that's the end of it. The only thing we know about them for sure is what they want. That's it. I've told you this **dozens** of times." Maya grumbled.

As soft a person she was, even she had her limits.

"Oh come on, you keep wondering as well?" Shigeru attempted to connect to them on the matter, with no luck.

"Fine...I guess I'll have to ask what Caspar-san thinks..." Even the sudden yells of " **no** " from his colleagues, did nothing to stop him hitting the comms button.

"Hey Caspar-san, I've got a question for you."

 _"What is it? Is it, have you cleaned your internet history of late? If yes, then the answer to that is_ _ **no**_ _...you dirty boy..."_ The A.I boomed in its characteristic "I don't care if people can hear me" manner.

"No that wasn't it..."

 _"_ _ **Guitars, Aoba-chan! Why guitars**_ _ **!?** "_ Caspar's despairing tone caused many on the control deck to burst into loud laughter.

Back on Observation however, Maya had her hand clamped over her mouth, and Makoto had his head buried in his hands muttering "yet another thing I did not need to know."

"No...that wasn't it either. I was going to ask what you think the Seraphim are." Shigeru managed to force down his blush of embarrassment.

The A.I was silent for a while.

 _"Well in answer to your question, Aoba-chan...it's quite similar to the one your colleagues have given you. The most we know about them is their destructive power and desire to eradicate all life. Alas, we know no more because A, when they die their flesh goes rock solid, and B, the Seraphim aren't exactly forthcoming about what they are."_ Once again, the A.I elicited a chuckle from the staff.

 _"If I'm not needed for anything else then, I'll just be off. Making sure nothing valuable explodes and all that..."_ Caspar's voice faded away.

"So...Guitars?" Maya attempted to say through barely controlled giggles.

"Oh shut up."

"That just doesn't make any sense..." Makoto shook his head.

"And Akira does?" Shigeru titled his head, his bespectacled colleague spluttering.

For the First Lieutenant was committing sacrilege.

"It makes complete sense if you've read the manga!" Makoto growled.

"It's a movie. It needs to stand by itself, not rely on extra material!" Shigeru threw open his arms in exasperation. The subject of Makoto's favourite movie and manga was often one for disagreement between the two.

"But it's art, Aoba-san!"

"Oh no, Hyuga-san, I expected so much more of you." He chuckled for a little, before his expression turned into that of someone feeling a ill.

"Besides, whatever that guy **turned into** puts some of the things we've seen to shame. How was that fucking **thing** art? Spirits _,_ I was gagging for hours after seeing that..."

"Yes...that was disgusting. But hey, at least it made more sense than-" Maya sighed before her colleague interrupted.

" **No**." Makoto had a look of mock fury on his face.

"Oh what, too deep for you, Hyuga-san?"

"It's not fucking deep. It's got the depth of a children's paddling pool damn it! It's what happens when crazy meets **way** too much money. How is it popular, I don't understand at all!? Just...Spirits...that fucking fan base is more toxic than Chernobyl itself. **It's 2 DEEP 4 U** my ass..."

This caused the other two to laugh, with the thirty-two year old Otaku grumbling to himself.

 _How did_ _ **that**_ _get popular in the west, whilst Legend of the Galactic Heroes stayed in obscurity? Maybe we should let the Seraphim win after all..._

Casting her gaze over Shigeru, Maya raised an eyebrow at his contented smile.

"Was this all part of some elaborate plan to lighten the mood?"

"Possibly..."

"I thought you didn't care about all this sort of thing...considering you're a psychopath?" Makoto raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I don't really. I just think people are less insufferable when they're happy. And it's **High Functioning Sociopath** , not **Psychopath**." He emphasized with annoyance.

"I forgot we could get under your skin with that..." Maya said, whilst Shigeru explosively sighed.

"And this is why I hate people."

There was silence for a minute or so, before a grin came onto Makoto's bespectacled face.

"So...Guitars?"

The misanthrope slowly angled his gaze upon his co-worker, embarrassment and annoyance etched upon his expression.

" **Not. Another. Word.** "

* * *

 _8:10pm, Transport hub_

It had been a long journey. Made even longer by the JSA overseers from Site Ieyasu breathing down their necks, making sure the weapon with which NERV might just win wasn't tampered with.

Or explode.

To be honest, Misato couldn't blame them, as much as they irritated her. When she'd asked about "what might happen" if something went wrong, the general answer was "Japan turns into Arabia..."

The Lieutenant Colonel watched the truly massive weapon be transported by vast subterranean crains. It had been so much trouble to get the one hundred and sixty metre long weapon of mass destruction here to begin with. Granted it would have been much easier if they'd simply sent an Eva to pick it up, but with the 6th Seraph having Tokyo-3's airspace locked down, it wouldn't have got far.

So, they'd had to transport it via an FCV, before dropping it off some miles away from NERV central, leaving it to be brought here by the organization's vast underground train network. Well...that was a bit of a lie, she guiltily mused.

The " _Rapid Homeland Defence System"_ or RHDS, was built by the Defence Board in 2004. It was a nationwide metro system, designed to quickly transport troops and supplies without enemy attention. However, after the Chinese invasion was beaten back, NERV had..."requisitioned it."

Yet another reason why the JSA despised them.

"Quite impressive isn't it?" Ritsuko's voice caused Misato to come out of her reflection.

"Oh, hey, Rits-chan. Yeah, sort of, but...it's still just a big gun at the end of the day."

Ritsuko, clipboard in hand, shook her head.

"A weapon that produces in power the equivalent of a small solar flare is just another _big gun_ to you? Eh, that's probably me over thinking things..."

"How is everything else going?" Misato said quietly, not wishing for others to listen in. For if news boded ill, then she didn't want the staff to suffer a morale drop like that.

"Incredibly, almost everything is going to plan. Unit 01's had its armour plating replaced, the old NASA Space Shuttle we have has been re-purposed as a shield, Subject Creatrix's A-T field has been utilised, the Seraph may be oblivious to all our movements, and Ayanami-san is somehow combat ready." The faux blonde relayed with some pride. Considering the time and resources they had, NERV could make this work. Emphasis on **could** , but that was better than nothing.

"You said _almost_." Misato turned her brown gaze upon the Sub Commander, predicting what might not be right with a heavy heart.

Ritsuko sighed.

"Tenka-sensei says that Ikari-san...may not be in quite the right place to Pilot Unit 01. Whilst there are fortunately no sympathetic injuries, the experience has traumatised him...more so than usual...in fact he had a panic attack or something like that."

The purplehead closed her eyes and exhaled.

 _Of course this was going to happen. Considering what we keep putting him through, I'm surprised he hasn't gone insane._

She then rethought that.

 _Hell, he can't go insane because he's already as mentally unstable as me..._

"He'll do it." She said with total conviction.

The faux blonde raised an eyebrow.

"You trust other people far too much, Misato-chan. Second Impact taught us what happens when we put faith in others...a fucking mess...anyway, Ikari-san was never the firmest person to begin with. And after what happened to him today, I doubt he'll ever be able to do it again."

The two stood in silence for a few moments before Misato straightened up, and walked off.

"Where are you going?" Ritsuko called after her.

"Medical ward."

"Good luck..." the faux blonde said sardonically, before fixing her gaze on the mighty weapon which may well be man's salvation.

 _A weapon actually built by our hands..._

"I won't need luck." Misato quietly murmured.

 _Shinji-kun is a wimp. He is skittish. But one thing he isn't..._ A little part of herself was quite surprised by just how much trust she was putting into him. And yet, after living with the boy for some time, she wasn't as surprised as she'd thought.

 _...is a coward._

* * *

 _08:30pm, Medical ward_

He'd been surprised there was a balcony, as he'd assumed father would never spend money on making something look nice.

Yet here it was.

It was a pleasant little thing, meant as a place of relaxation for the injured or sick. The trickling water of the fountain and even the bonzai plants, were placed and designed to provide a sense tranquillity that wouldn't have seemed out of place in the gardens of the Imperial palace. Well it would have, if the Seraph's constant bombardment wasn't echoing above him, causing his spine to shiver.

 _I can't face that thing again...I can't..._

Shinji bowed his head and clenched his fists, leaning on the balcony edge in an attempt to control his shaking.

It was a beautiful view. The various green fields and lakes of the geofront added a wholesome and natural feeling to this otherwise unnerving place.

His hand moved to his chest and massaged it, wincing slightly as recalled the enemy's power striking him.

 _I'm so pathetic..._

Footsteps coming from behind caught his attention. But he didn't need to turn around, for he knew to whom they belonged.

"Good evening, Katsuragi-san."

Misato stopped a metre or so behind him, the sheer weakness of his voice stabbing at her heart.

"Good evening, Shinji-kun. I see you're out of bed."

No response.

"How do you feel?"

Shinji sighed and bowed his head.

"I know why you're here, you want me to pilot the Eva. I'm not going to waste your time so here it is. No, I can't do it."

The two stood there for a while, with nothing but the sound of the geofront's wildlife echoing around the great dome.

 _You'll still do it. I know you will._

"How do you know that?" Misato queried.

"It's simple really..." Shinji turned to face her, his expression darkening.

"Every time I get in that thing something goes wrong. People get killed and it's all because I'm a pathetic coward who just can't do anything right. You don't need me anymore anyway, you've got Ayanami-san now. The only reason father brought me here was to act as her sub..." He said bitterly, his fist clenching and unclenching.

"He didn't do anything...did he? I bet he didn't even blink..." A single tear slid down the young man's left cheek.

"No...he didn't. I'm sorry." Misato knew what it was to have problems with parents, but it seemed even her own issues paled before those of her charge in some ways.

He breathed in deeply.

"I never thought I wanted his approval, or acknowledgement, or even his love. But I do...so so much." The tears could no longer be held back

"I want to have a father again. But I know he doesn't want a son..." His tears turned into sobs, as Misato gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She remained quiet, letting him get all his woes off his chest.

 _I keep forgetting you're just a kid. A damn brave one, but still a kid at the end of the day._

"I know he doesn't care if I live or die...not at all." Shinji forced out, laced with some of the infinite anger he felt for his sperm donor.

" **I hate it**. I **hate** wanting him to look at me, or complement me, but I want it anyway...oh Spirits I'm complaining about this when that thing is up there trying to kill us all." He briefly cast his gaze upwards, then shook his head with distressed annoyance.

"I could never get my priorities straight..."

Now Misato understood. She understood one of the reasons why Shinji behaved the way he did.

"You really hate yourself...don't you?"

" **Of course!** What is there to like about me!? I'm a coward, I'm dishonest, I'm sneaky, and a wimp! I am nothing, Katsuragi-san, completely nothing! Nobody wants me, not even my own father..." His sudden out burst trailed off as he struck the metal railing on the balcony with his fist.

 _But we need you!_ Her subconscious cried out instinctively. Misato had lived alone for a very long time, desperately trying to drown her nightmares in drink with nothing but Pen-pen to comfort her. Now that he lived with her...the home seemed much less empty, which was strange considering how tidy it was these days. He was a good room mate, even with him quietly muttering about her inability to keep the apartment clean when he didn't think she was listening. To be frank all that did was make her giggle.

She liked him living with her.

Maybe it was that which kept clouding her judgement, kept telling her they could handle the enemy by themselves and that he wouldn't have to do anymore.

 _But that's not going to happen. We need all the Evas operational to get through this, and you're the only person in the world who can pilot Unit 01._

She stared sadly at the young man, who was so keenly aware of his own problems and how they hampered his judgement when it came to the fate of the world. But that was the way mental issues worked. They were like a black hole which sucked in everything good and left nothing but misery.

And yet here he was, having saved the earth twice already.

 _Such a brave boy. A wimp, but a brave one._

"I'm sorry...but all I can do is let people down...Ayanami-san knows what she's doing. I'm not needed anymore." His head remained hung, his voice quiet.

Misato's hand still didn't leave his shoulder, her expression hardening. Not in a cruel way, but in resilience.

 _Let people down? Time to prove how wrong you are._

"Come with me, now." She strongly yet gently tugged on his shoulder. He resisted for a micro-second, before allowing himself to be pulled away from the balcony view.

* * *

It was a long walk, he dimly noted, not having a clue what his destination was. But, with humour, he did notice Misato seemed to know where she was going for once.

 _Are the stars in alignment or something?_

However, he didn't show any sign of it, his specially grown fringe for covering his eyes being useless. All that was there, was the look of a sullen and sad young man, who truly believed he had nothing to offer to the world. Yet here was this strange woman, who appeared to have such misplaced faith in him, pulling him along to Spirits know where.

 _What does she want to show me?_

His curiosity piqued as they came to a set of lifts with two Section 2 agents standing in front of them, implying whatever the lift led to was rather classified.

"Lieutenant Colonel. Can we help you?" The one on the right said, not betraying any emotion from behind his standard issue black glasses.

"Yes, you can. I'm taking Pilot Ikari down into Terminal Dogma. If you could step aside-" She took one step forwards, then raised an eyebrow when they didn't move.

"Terminal Dogma is white level classified-" One of them was halfway through saying before Misato shot him down.

"Unless you live under a rock, you would know I have that clearance, and have had it for two years. And I believe Pilot Ikari should know just what he's fighting for."

The two agents shifted uncomfortably, then parted.

"As you were." She nodded at them, before walking into the lift, hauling Shinji in with her.

"Where are we going?" He said quietly, as the doors closed and the lift started going down.

"Terminal Dogma. You'll see when we get there." She said cryptically.

Now he was genuinely curious.

 _What on earth does she want me to see?_

The lift came to a juddering stop after a three minute long journey, leaving him to ponder just how deep down they were. And even throughout all that time, Misato had not let go of his arm. So he found himself being tugged along through a great deal of corridors and ever enlarging doors with bizarre and alien symbols upon them, symbols we would identify as _Hebrew_ in origin.

They swiftly arrived at a great pair of doors, the largest he'd yet seen, which resembled giant obsidian slabs being almost ten metres tall, their corners glowing a luminescent red. And if they weren't foreboding enough, two auto turrets tracked their every single step.

Mounted at the door's side, was what appeared to be some sort of touchscreen key code device, which Misato quickly tapped in the required code on. Also, much to Shinji's interest, her fingerprints remained on the screen for a few seconds before fading away, being followed by a flashing sign of "Identified, Sub Commander Katsuragi. Access granted."

The great doors slowly but inevitably swung open, revealing what resembled a great metal catwalk surrounded by a sea of LCL.

However it was what resided at its end, that took his breath away.

Shinji stared wide eyed at the pale titan, nailed to a two hundred metre tall cross, a giant double pronged lance pinning its chest to it. Upon its face, a seven eyed mask that appeared to follow them, and where its legs should have been was only a hideous bubbling mass of tiny arms and feet.

"What is that?" He said, awed by this strange sight, all thoughts of his own self loathing temporarily vanishing.

"Shinji-kun...this is Subject Creatrix. Mother Lilith." Misato said as if she herself was impressed by NERV's prized possession, despite having seen it many times before.

"Mother...Lilith?" He said, overwhelmed. Shinji felt so many feelings being near this thing. Joy, happiness, love, and a desire to get closer. However, his subconscious thought differently.

 _Monster, devil, false deity, devourer of good! Kill or flee! Kill or flee!_

"We call it that because...it is. All life on Earth was gestated by Lilith. You are looking at every living being alive today's common ancestor, and the Seraphim's ultimate goal." Misato continued.

"This made us...but how does it have anything to do with the Seraphim?"

"I'm not sure. But I know why they are here. They want to merge with it. I don't know why they keep trying to do it, or what they gain from it...but I know what will happen." The purple head then pointed at the great ocean of orange which surrounded them.

"LCL is Lilith's blood. It's the basic building blocks of all life. If a Seraphim were to get down here and merge with Lilith..." She turned to face him, seriousness in her brown eyes.

"It would be an evolutionary reset button. Everything, you, me, humanity, animals, plants, it would all go back to this."

"Why...why are you telling me these things?" He stammered in fear.

"Because you deserve to know what you've saved mankind from. **Twice**. The only reason the world is still spinning, the only reason we haven't all been condemned to oblivion, is because of you, Shinji-kun. I mean sure, how could you possibly fail with **me** behind you-" She chuckled a little, provoking a small smile from her charge.

"-But still...most of that was you. **You** got in the Eva. **You** fought."

She placed a hand on his shoulder.

" **You** won. There's more Seraphim to come, and they'll get stronger, I can't lie about that. But with you, Ayanami-san, and everyone else onboard, we can **get** through this. You can help give back humanity's tomorrow."

A single solitary tear trickled down his cheek, one not of despair, but of a warmed heart that had been cold for so many years.

"Could you do that for me, Shinji-kun? We need you. All of us, every last person in this world. We need you...because you're a soldier who does Japan, its people, and our entire species proud." She said quietly, knowing her words were getting through to him.

 _I need you._

Before the restrained god, the two simply stood quietly for a while, whilst a faint and bewildered smile curved itself into existence on Shinji's once sullen features.

"Misato-san..." He gratefully whispered, as he was completely touched by her words. And he managed to carry out the exact same effect on her, as the purplehead herself was smiling now.

For it was the first time he'd ever used her first name.

His blue eyes met her brown ones once again, but there was no quailing or indecisiveness. Fear was present indeed, but fear overridden by determination and courage, born from an almost infinite reservoir of the stuff he was only now learning how to tap into.

Shinji deeply inhaled before he spoke.

"Alright."

He nodded, as if finally making peace with the hand fate had dealt him.

"I'll pilot it."


	21. 5:4 Before the battle

_10:00pm, Tokyo-3, fortified position 21_

It had taken an hour and a bit to move the Evas into position. Both Units had been mobilised, even before Shinji had agreed to resume active duty. Clearly NERV didn't do anything by half measures. In the distance, roughly a kilometre away, the lights of Japan's capital city illuminated its occupier. The occasional flaring of orange light indicating it was still cutting into the earth below it.

Still driving towards what he'd seen in Terminal Dogma.

Everything was in place, the time of engagement would be 10:30pm, and he would be the person to pull the trigger of the weapon which NERV had procured scarcely hours before.

The positron rifle.

A weapon which apparently would have taken the entire power supply of **Japan** to fire in years gone past...

Upon a raised concrete artillery emplacement, the young man in question was sitting with his arms folded around his knees. To his left, sat his comrade, Pilot Rei Ayanami.

He was still fearful of what duty had outlined for him, and Shinji reckoned he'd always be afraid of it. But Misato, NERV, humanity, and the strange girl that confounded him so, needed him to do it. Or else **everything** died.

Before him resided a lying down Unit 01, positron rifle placed in its hands. Just behind one of the nearby hills, crouched the gold and white armoured giant designated Unit 00, a great shield held in its right arm. One which had been apparently made from the underside of a NASA space shuttle...

 _Super weapons, monsters in the basement, and now a damned Space Shuttle. Just what the hell doesn't NERV have?_

The stars twinkled away in the night sky, their usual brilliance being useful as something to distract him from the momentous task he was to commit himself to.

The task of slaying a demigod.

And as if to add to that, he now knew full well the consequences of defeat.

 _We_ _ **can't**_ _fail._

His eyebrows narrowed for a moment, before he turned his gaze upon Rei.

They both wore plugsuits with their ever present itching. These days Shinji only occasionally scratched uncomfortable places, whilst his comrade appeared unaffected. She just sat there, in her skin tight white suit that would have sent most of Sengokuhara High's male students into a blushing frenzy. To him however, she was not "sexy" or "attractive." For you see, in the pale moonlight, the girl who could be regarded as his sister, was nothing but stunning to him.

Rei hadn't spoken a word since their brief conversation in the hospital, and now was no different. She stared off into the distance, at her Eva, at the stars, or at the Seraph, he didn't know.

"So...how are you holding up?" He said nervously to all that was left of his mother.

 _ **No**_ _, she's not mother...she's Ayanami-san._

"My previous injuries are no longer problematic. I shall be operating at maximum efficiency." She said blankly.

As was to be expected.

Shinji shook his head and laughed under his breath. However, Rei had good hearing.

"What is so funny?"

"Oh...i-it's nothing. Really."

Her expression remained blank but directed at him.

"Fine...I just think it's incredible how you're so...fearless." He said quietly, trying to find the appropriate words.

"Fear is irrelevant to me. I must carry out the duty for which I was created."

Whilst a little part of him seethed with anger over whatever father had conditioned her to think, Shinji could not help but find such sentiment...admirable.

"You're a lot stronger than me, Ayanami-san." He said in some disbelief.

"How?"

Her simple word of response stumped him for a second, as he stumbled over what to say next. As if his pathetic nature had ever needed explaining to anyone.

"Well you aren't a coward. Or dishonest, or sneaky, or a wimp. Anyone else in the world has more strength than me, but you...considering what they ask of you...you're inspiring."

"Why are you lying?"

"What?"

"You are not a coward. If you were, then the 4th Seraph would have succeeded. A coward would not have tried to shield me from falling debris with their own body, nor challenged their own father on behalf of a stranger. Neither would they have continued to put themselves in life threatening situations on behalf of others."

The orphaned and abandoned child stared on in a dumbfounded manner as Rei continued.

"You have never been dishonest with me, nor _sneaky_. And I doubt you ever will. Your temperament is...not adequate for it." She looked thoughtful for a while, in as much a person such as the albino could.

"I feel nothing except my purpose. You're strength is different to my own, but it is still there. You feel many things, fear being the most prevalent. And yet you push past it in the fulfilment of your duty. That is an admirable quality to many." Rei stood up and walked over to the building's railings, placing a hand upon them.

"What is it like? To feel fear?" She inquired.

His mind taken off the task at hand, Shinji spent a few moments opening and closing his mouth before speaking.

"I'm not sure how to describe it...it's like this bottomless feeling in your stomach that you get when you think something is about to go wrong. That's the best I can do."

She remained silent for a while before speaking again.

"I have never felt such a thing." Her back was turned to him now.

"But you feel it now though, do you not?" She added.

Shinji had never lied to her so far, and he intended to keep it that way. And with his gaze fixed on the great floating octahedron which had nearly snuffed out his life some eight hours ago, fear had a terrible grip on his heart.

"Yes." He nodded.

 _But even if I am scared...I will do my duty. For Japan, my people, my Emperor, my schoolmates, those soldiers I met all those weeks ago, Misato,...and you._ He drank in Rei's image, not in a perverted manner, but in one of fond affection.

He hoped it would not be the last time he felt such things. But mixed in within those feelings, he found something bizarre to himself. After talking to Rei, he felt a burning desire to cave in the face of anyone who laid a finger on her. Although he didn't understand them, it would not be the last time Shinji's _big brother_ instincts would be kicking in...then a feeling of wetness on his cheek caught his attention.

Realising that unnoticed and unwanted tear was trickling down it, he frantically wiped it away before she could notice.

The bluehead became silent for a full minute straight after that.

 _I do not wish for you to feel fear...I know not why I care for you, maybe it is because of my progenitor or how you have treated me. It is irrelevant. The fact is...that I do._

In the light of the moon, a light which made her ethereal yet beautiful young skin glow, and her hair shine like starlight, she turned her ruby red gaze upon him, a gaze many would think incapable of displaying emotion. But, today a small spark of compassion could be detected within them.

 _You strange alien creature...you who have shown me compassion even though you know my origins. Not once have you looked down on me for it, or been repulsed. Even if the thoughts of others matter little to me...I am glad to have met you, Shinji Ikari._

"You need not feel fear, Ikari. I shall protect you, with my life if it must be so." Her gaze flashed back over to Unit 00.

The boy in question stared on, aghast. The thought of someone vowing to give their life for his own pointless one, was nigh incomprehensible to him.

"It is time. Goodbye..." She began to walk away, not before he managed to snap himself out of his stupor and stand up, stammering out a few words.

" **No**. This...this isn't goodbye, Ayanami-san. Alright? We'll...protect each other."

His words earned a quick glance of acknowledgement from the albino in question, before she leaped over the railing, and landed perfectly on the ground some five metres below them.

Despite all the tension he was feeling, Shinji couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief.

He'd heard clones could be modified to be superior to ordinary human beings, but even then, that was impressive and seemed quite in character for her.

"Incredible." He shook his head before turning his own cerulean gaze upon Unit 01, his expression becoming grim.

 _Well...shall we try this again?_


	22. 5:5 Ramiel, the huntress

_02:15pm, Great British Empire, Imperial home islands, Leopard, Parliament square._

To say the Imperial capital was impressive would be an understatement, even without the glorious rays of summer sun cascading over the heart of one of the mightiest nations man had ever created.

Leopard was truly a marvel of engineering, with great neo classical palaces, beautiful green parks, and neatly ordered Victorian style apartment blocks, rows of Georgian esque terrace houses, and an ordered road system. This coupled with a metro system both above and below ground, made travel quick and simple.

Attached to it, a great port with ships sailing in and out constantly, departing for the Empire's overseas territories or bringing back various and exotic items from said conquests. Above the city, floated the entire 1st airfleet, and in the waters of it's harbour, resided twenty warships of the Imperial Navy.

Only a fool would attack Leopard.

This was a city only made possible by the technology of the 21st century, along with the resources and manpower Britain had plundered during the creation of its vast Empire.

This was a city designed to make all foreign "barbarians" stand in awe of Imperial power, of a city built through the sweat of both Imperial natives, and pressed into work subjugated peoples. Who were instated as citizens and settled in the capital upon completion of the city, as reward for their services.

Today, the usually bustling city was quiet however.

For it was the Emperor's birthday, and he was making a speech.

 _His Imperial Britannic Majesty Charles Sebastian Vance, second Emperor of the British isles and its dominions_ , had withdrawn from the public eye after the successful conclusion of the Euro-Imperial and Federal-Imperial wars. Apart from the weekly government meetings in the palace of New Windsor, he wasn't seen much. But now, there he stood on that great platform, dressed in Marshal's uniform, a white cape designating his utmost importance. In front of him, behind him, and around him, stood hundreds of Imperial Guard, their navy blue coats and bearskins making them stand out in the crowd which had amassed to see their Monarch.

An instrumental version of "Lion's roar" played from loudspeakers, as the Emperor, with his beautiful Empress at his side, began to speak.

"Dear friends, subjects of Great Britain. The Imperial crown which resides upon my head, has only been made possible by your immeasurable loyalty to me and this country." A roar seemed to shake the foundations of the city itself, the crowd numbering in the tens of thousands basked in his words.

But Charles required silence. With the simple raising of his left hand, it seemed as if a great hush had fallen upon the world.

"Fifteen years it has been, since my father and his comrades in their infinite wisdom, birthed this great nation from the ashes of the old United Kingdom. The road has been long, it has been bloody, but as one we have become the greatest power this world has yet seen. And it has only been through your perseverance, for it was simply my privilege to guide you." He stretched out his right arm.

"Europe and America attempted to impede our destined glory, but look at them now! The continent cowers, it dares not provoke or insult us. Even the Federation holds its forked and fascist tongue, still bitterly remembering the hide whipping we gave it twelve years ago!" He swept his hand out to his side, as his people's screams of adulation reached fever pitch.

"I name you, conquerors of a fifth of the Earth, humblers of titans, my brothers and sisters. And I give thanks that you have deigned my few words worthy of your time. Thank you, all of you. And I bid you good day, fellow sons and daughters of the Empire. Hail Britain." His twenty-seven year old mouth curled into a smile as thousands upon thousands of voices screamed in jubilation of their Emperor, the man who had delivered them from the incompetent oppression of the continent, and genocidal savagery of the Federation.

" **Hail Vance! Hail Britain!** " They chanted again and again, as he turned away to walk back inside the palace of New Windsor, white cape fluttering behind him, his wife and Imperial Guardsmen quickly following.

"You haven't done anything like that since we defeated the Federation... and you're still amazing at it..." Abigail Vance, the second Empress of Great Britain, said in a tone of unsurprised disbelief mixed with fondness.

"Once one gains a grasp upon such things, you never lose it...still..." He cast a quick glance back at the crowds gathered outside New Windsor, the great doors sealing behind him.

"Not quite as good as my coronation speech. But it appears to do for them."

The corridors of the Imperial palace were magnificent. Great royal red carpets stretched across the entire complex, walls of brown marble with golden patterns engraved into them, supported by Corinthian columns of the same material flanking them displayed the wealth of the nation which built it.

Upon those walls, resided beautiful portraits.

Some retrieved from the ruins of London, some more recent, such as those of Terrence Cromford and the various generals who had won Britain an Empire. Granted, Charles mused, he had pulled the nation together in its time of need, set forth the strategy of conquest, and negotiated the treaties of Washington and Paris, but he was no soldier. More of an armchair general in his opinion.

One picture, among his favourites, did show a person he deemed a military genius.

High Field Marshal Alexander Meadow, fresh off his victory at the battle of Calais, cape and hair billowing in the wind, his men, the illustrious 7th army marching behind him in triumph.

 _How sad. To rise so far from losing a loved one, then to lose three more barely a few years later..._

He stopped before another portrait, of a man with his hair and eyes sitting upon the Imperial throne with a cocksure grin.

One like that of Britain's current Emperor.

"Charles?" Abigail had taken his hand, noticing her husband's suddenly sombre expression.

"It's nothing."

A raised brown eyebrow from his Empress told him it would be discussed later. Whether he liked it or not.

Arriving at a set of impossibly ornate doors, as was fitting for a culture so obsessed with splendour, the Emperor was greeted by cries of "Hail Britain!" from a pair of guards, who pushed them open with a great creaking.

Gesturing with his hand to show acknowledgement, he walked through, arm in arm with the woman he loved.

This white room with stained glass windows and intricate golden patterns was the throne room, where in years gone past Charles would have sat, discussed, then dictated Imperial policy. Now he'd only appear every Friday or so, as the game of politics was boring to him these days. It was like he'd used up all his patience for it in the first year of his reign. On the other hand, that was to be expected from a man who'd been called up to rule when he was fifteen years old.

Charles had always felt like he'd done his bit for the nation, now he could relax.

Relax, and attend to a far greater task, his true magnum opus.

Raising a family.

"Hail Vance!" Roughly three hundred people fell to one knee, as their Lord and Liege walked through them.

The one hundred or so standing near the two Thrones at the other end of the room, were the Council of Marshals, the Empire's true rulers these days. They to whom the old order, what remained of the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and Labour, were nothing but an advisory body to be listened to or ignored on a whim.

And even then, with no sense of irony, they bowed to the British Emperor.

Of course the other two hundred, the Imperial Parliament, tripped over themselves to pay homage to him. As was to be expected of career politicians. Whilst Charles smiled at them in a cordial manner, his mind grumbled.

 _Nothing more sycophantic than a Tory. Of all the things to endure Second Impact, why did it have to be_ _ **them**_ _?_

Abigail however, had a great deal more tolerance for Parliament. At least their sycophancy wasn't like that of the nobility, who were always gossiping behind her back simply for being common born, out of earshot of the Emperor for fear of his wrath, but would flatter her looks and clothing at every opportunity when faced with her.

At least the various MP's simply wanted favour.

Even then, many of the old Parliament did admire her looks. For whilst the Empress of Great Britain may not have been particularly _stunning_ so to speak, she did possess a wholesome and natural beauty. Her long brown hair and eyes, matched her pretty young face well. This was further amplified by the white gown and navy blue cape she was wearing that day.

No jewellery or make up, Abigail Vance required none of those.

The couple reached their respective thrones and elegantly sat upon them, bearskinned Imperial Guards standing at their sides.

"Rise." Charles gestured with his hand. Three hundred people quickly stood up.

"Sire, we congratulate you on yet another year of your glorious life and reign. Hail Britain, hail Vance!" Marshal Barton said in his jolly tone as befitting of so large a man, his last four words being replicated by all save two in the room.

The Emperor gave a quiet chuckle before responding.

"My thanks, Barton. I'll make sure there is cake left for you."

There was a ripple of laughter.

Upon the end of it, a clean shaven man in his early forties stepped forth from the group of Marshals, his hair still somehow pure black despite the stressful nature of his position. And although his eyes were doughy brown, they swam in intelligence.

"Ah, Cromford." Charles nodded at the practical ruler of his Empire these days.

"Sire, your post speech entertainment has been prepared." Grand High Marshal Terrence Cromford bowed his head, having already fallen to one knee. This was while a footman brought the Emperor a crystal glass filled with wine, on a silver platter. The twenty-seven year old Lord picked up the glass before responding to his most faithful servant.

"Excellent. Begin." Charles gestured with his left hand, whilst his right adjusted its grip on his glass, the Italian blood red liquid sloshing around.

 _The only good thing those continental cowards know how to make is this..._

Cromford nodded and clicked his fingers.

The great screen embedded on the other side of the wall flickered into life, showing a picture that not many had ever seen before. It was an image of hills, with two armoured titans hiding within their shadows, a great rifle pointed towards the capital city of Japan, and a strange diamond like creature which hovered above it.

"Sire...pardon me for my ignorance but what is this?" Nathan Coll, head of the Liberal Democrats, and MP for greater Northamptonshire, tilted his head.

"This, Nathan is an image from the other side of the world. Of Tokyo-3, where a great battle shall soon commence." Cromford folded his arms behind his back and watched the screen for a while.

"I thought Tokyo-3 had gone silent due to a Seraph attack, Marshal?"

"Indeed it has, in fact this-" Cromford pointed at the octahedron "-is the Seraph in question."

There was a chorus of muttering among the gathered members of the Imperial government. However, even then there was a great difference between the Marshals and MPs.

The true governors of the Empire, talked quietly and calmly among themselves, resplendent in their navy blue military regalia and white capes. Whilst Parliament was a good deal louder and in ordinary dress...well so far as expensive suits can be considered _ordinary_.

Thelma March, the Prime Minister herself, stammered as politely as possible to her Emperor.

"S-S-Sire, this is rather serious for entertainment. I mean...if NERV fails..."

"Indeed, quite exhilarating isn't it?" Charles smiled, as he leaned back into his comfortable throne.

"The fate of the world is about to be decided, and we, the governors of history's greatest Empire, are merely spectators." He chuckled, brushing aside a strand of his loose blonde hair.

A few others attempted to laugh with him, only to be shrill and forced.

Then, on the screen, there was movement.

Entry plugs slid out of their respective Evas, followed by shadowy but unmistakeably small forms clambering into them, before being sealed back inside the mighty God Machines.

"And so it begins." Cromford muttered aloud.

"Indeed..." The Emperor looked thoughtful for a few moments, gaining a look of concern from Abigail, before flashing his trademark grin.

"Let us give a toast and a prayer to our gallant defenders." He raised his glass at the screen, prompting others to perform the Imperial salute, one of placing a fist over their heart, towards Pilots Ikari and Ayanami.

Taking another sip of his wine, Charles managed to hide his inner turmoil, quickly glancing at his wife. She instantly understood, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it.

He squeezed hers back.

 _Powerless...I vowed never to let myself or my people feel such a way again. Oh Knights of NERV..._

He looked at the screen again, his expression almost softening when thinking of the children inside those mighty Evangelions.

 _It is an awful thing our world demands of you. But for my little Alfred and Charlotte's sake...save us._

* * *

 _10:30pm, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, fortified position 21_

 _"Are you ready, Shinji-kun?"_ Misato's said over the video link.

"Probably not." Shinji said in a nervous but humoured manner, causing some chuckling on the other end.

 _"That'll have to do then. What about you, Ayanami-san?"_

"I am ready." Rei whispered.

 _"Alright..."_ The purplehead nodded.

She, Ritsuko, the other observation deck staff, and bizarrely enough Doctor Tenka, were not sitting down in NERV central with the Commander, but in a mobile command centre not too far from the Evas. If this operation went wrong, at least they would die quickly. When questioned on his reasoning for being there, Tenka said " _If we're victorious, I want to be on standby for any possible injuries. I'm a Doctor, it's my job."_

 _"The operation is a go. Shinji-kun, prepare to fire. But keep in mind that when you do the Seraph will_ _ **know**_ _where you are. Understood?"_

" _Ryokai_." He confirmed, tightening his grip around his control sticks, the targeting system having been lined up.

 _I can't miss. Not now._

 _"Alright then. Engage at will."_ All Misato could do, was lean back and watch.

For the third time in less than a month, the world was in his hands. And by all the deities he was aware of, the boy resented it immensely. But now, he understood its necessity.

"Just line up the target...and pull the trigger..." He murmured to himself, his plug suited finger curling around the trigger in question, preparing to unleash a power the of a small solar flare upon mankind's nemesis.

Meanwhile, hovering above Tokyo-3, Ramiel continued to blast down into NERV Central, the orange light she produced illuminating a deep tunnel. A few more hours, and she would be there.

 _ **The Vooren must know I'm closing in...so why do you not act? No desperate bolt for safety, or last stand. Just silence...**_

She looked up at the night sky, watching for any sign of movement. But there was nothing. Even with her senses bizarrely off, the Divine hunter realised there truly was nothing. Nothing save for the heavens looking down upon her.

 _ **Hoer, Lord of all, Haamma, master of the battlefield, Firjioks, mistress of life anew, Aek, monarch of the life beyond this one, and my noble Ancestors...watch as I win the world back for us!**_

Ramiel would have smiled if she could have, as she knew all those little lights up there where candles upon the halls of the Gods's unending tables. There, everyone she loved who'd been lost in the calamity and the morning slaughter, were feasting, drinking and fighting for all eternity.

Yewey, Hectel...mother...

Her feelings hardened. The Vooren would **pay** for that transgression soon enough.

Still nothing, nothing but the silence of the night.

 _ **Pathetic weaklings...I could slay such a thing as this form in a heartbeat. On the other hand...Shkai were docile creatures, not nearly as bloodthirsty as me.**_ She proverbially chuckled at that, remembering the great herds of diamond like creatures which harmlessly hovered over the great plains, taking sustenance from the earth beneath them. Although to provoke them...was a fool's errand.

She'd always admired them, their ability to utterly annihilate whatever irritated them in a heartbeat with pin point accuracy. And thus it had come as a great surprise, when father told her she could change into one of them.

Being one of the last remaining members of the old _Aesylian_ Royal blood line, she possessed the power to do such a thing, as did the rest of her family. They could take multiple forms, but they had their preferred ones. Zeruel tended to take that of a mighty _Llaa Tsreitf_ , befitting of his nature, and the same went respectively to her other brothers and sisters.

Father however, never changed his form, even though all knew he could. He only increased his size when the situation demanded it. Ramiel had seen the Lord Netzach grow to such a height, his shadow shrouded the land in darkness.

At least, as far as the eyes of someone with a medieval mindset could make out.

 _ **He's terrifying enough as it is without becoming a giant. Oh Vooren, how your armour would quail before his mere presence...**_

Speaking of which, she was still searching for it, the purple creature which had murdered her siblings, yet cowardly fled instead of facing death with dignity. Due to her reaching out to find him, the Heir actually took in her surroundings. Not the city, as impressive as it was even by Divine standards, but the surrounding countryside. The greenery and the hills.

 _ **How beautiful. You have been blessed to rule this world, even for so short an amount of time. Oh Rezel, how you will love it here...**_

Suddenly there was a change, a warm sensation pinging on her metaphorical spine.

 _ **Energy...**_

Ramiel knew what was happening. Somehow the enemy had caught her unaware.

Unaware, but not undefended.

Immediately, she unleashed a blast of energy at the source of whatever foreign and aggressive force was coming her way. At the moment she let fly, a beam of light surged towards her from a hilly area some leagues away. The two beams, unable to cancel the other out due to their sheer power, wrapped around each other and flew off in separate directions, her own beam vaporizing an unfortunate hill, and the Vooren drilling a new tunnel through a hapless mountain.

 _ **Good shot...I'm pleasantly surprised. Very well then Voor, shall we make a show of this?**_

* * *

"Fuck!" Shinji cried out.

Fortunately he'd expected something like this to happen. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do about it.

"How long until recharge?" Misato barked.

"Twenty seconds and counting!" Maya responded, swiftly followed by Makoto calling out "enemy will be firing again immediately!"

Ritsuko sighed a resigned sigh, and lit another cigarette.

 _Shit..._ The purplehead turned back to the visual feed from Shinji's cockpit and watched the edge of the Seraph begin to glow a hellish red.

"Shinji-kun get out of there!"

"No...sorry...can't leave the rifle..."

 _If I'm going to die, let it be whilst I'm doing my duty..._

This was their only chance. If they lost the rifle, humanity lost its existence. And so, he threw all his strength into his A-T field, waiting for the searing pain he would have to endure. The red light grew in intensity before it lanced out towards him again, its raw power illuminating Unit 01 in the pitch blackness. Then, a shadow was cast over it.

 _"Attend to the rifle. I will cover you."_ A quiet voice said.

Unit 00 had sprinted in front of the other Evangelion, presenting its shield towards the incoming blast. Much to the surprise of all the command staff, as the order for Rei to provide cover hadn't even been given yet...

 _Rei..._ His brain whispered in some relief...and horror.

The blast struck Unit 00 with full force, actually driving it back a few dozen metres, and yet it and its Pilot resolutely held firm against the Seraph's wrath. Rei hissed slightly as a feeling of one's skin curling up due to being superheated reverberated through her mind. Whilst she didn't feel pain like others, that didn't mean she felt nothing.

But still she held, the molten slag of her melting shield falling on her hands making them feel as if they were melting as well.

 _My A-T field is failing, I can only hold for a few more moments..._ She felt no fear. Death came for all things, that was the way of life. Her field was stripped away by hell fire, and now all the young albino could feel was pain and imminent death. And yet all she had to show for it, was more quiet hissing.

 _"Ayanami-san are you alright!?"_ Pilot Ikari's cried on her vid link over and over again.

Rei found herself responding, memories of this strange boy smiling at her, filling the unearthly child with something that resembled warmth.

 _Live on._

 _"Goodbye...Shinji."_ The blast enveloped her.

* * *

" **Rei!** " Never before had he screamed as he did then. He'd lost her, just like mother. The last thing which could be regarded as a remnant of his family was gone forever.

The majority of the Seraph's energy had been taken up overwhelming the shield and Unit 00, so it harmlessly dissipated upon impact with Unit 01's own A-T field.

Now, in a strange way, Pilot Shinji Ikari and Heir Ramiel could look one another in the eye.

 _You...you..._ _ **you!**_ His vision narrowed, despite being blurred by tears. His concentration was now entirely fixed on the octahedron on the distance, the eldritch abomination which had caused him so much agony, terrorized his people, threatened to bring about the end of his civilisation, and stole his little sister from him. Now he would repay it **ten fold**.

 _I'll kill you...I'll kill you...I'll kill you..._ _ **I'll kill you!**_

The rifle had recharged, the targeting system had locked, all he needed to do was pull the trigger.

Which Shinji Ikari did on that day with extreme prejudice.

* * *

 _ **Two of them!? There's two of them!?**_ Ramiel shrieked in surprise. Granted, even though the second armour was likely dead, it had shielded its comrade well. Were she not so surprised, the Heir would have approved of its self-sacrifice. There was no small amount of honour in dying for one's friends or loved ones.

However, this was overshadowed by the fact the enemy had two mighty weapons in its arsenal, meaning there could be even **more**. And any more of the kind of creature which slew Sachiel and Shamshel in straight up combat, was ill news indeed.

 _ **No...whilst its sacrifice was commendable, the other armour's annihilation was useless. The murderer of my brothers will die-**_

The positron rifle fired for the second time that day, just within the huntress's recharge time.

Shinji had found his window of opportunity beautifully. Although he didn't really know that, as he was far too busy screaming " **die yokai** " in a voice utterly alien to his personality.

The Seraph had no time to react, to fire back, or even move. She could only feel that beam come towards her, with inevitable speed and power.

 _ **My little Rezel...I'm so sorry...**_

Shinji's rage crashed through Ramiel's heart, death coming a few seconds later for the third eldest of the Divine Lord's children.

 _ **Your mother loves you Rezel, so so much...**_

* * *

Misato and her subordinates watched the feed from Unit 01, some with alarm.

For Shinji was smiling a sadistic, satisfied grin upon watching his enemy crash into the ground. A grin that would frighten even him when he would gaze upon it a few days later. A grin that quickly vanished however, after seeing the singed, melted and ruined mess that was Unit 00. Jubilation in victory and revenge, quickly turned back to despair.

"Ayanami-san...can you hear me?" He said, heart broken.

No response.

"Misato-san...could you boost my signal to Unit 00?"

The Lieutenant Colonel in question felt her heart seize up.

Quickly glancing at Maya, she only got a slightly distraught shake of the head. This was whilst simultaneously managing to ignore to Ritsuko's slowly failing attempts at hiding her own grief. The faux blonde continued to get through cigarettes, providing a fortunate smokescreen to obscure her single tear.

"Shinji-kun, we haven't got any life signs..." Misato folded her arms. All comms with Unit 00 had ceased upon it being engulfed by Ramiel's power.

" **No!** " His fist slammed the side of the plug in rage and frustration, swiftly readjusting his grip on the control sticks and urging his Eva to rise.

"Ikari-san...she couldn't have survived that. No one could-" Tenka said gently, having brought himself over to the comms, trying to make the young man face an unpleasant truth.

" **She is alive damn it!** " Shinji shrieked as the purple monster thundered towards its stricken colleague, prog knife sliding out from its back.

"Lieutenant Colonel, I could cut the power if..." Maya stopped mid sentence as Misato raised a hand.

"That'll be unnecessary, Lieutenant. He deserves to see anyway..."

* * *

He sliced through its back like a knife through butter, much to his despair. The armour was weak, almost liquid. Hopefully the same thing would not be said of its occupant.

Shinji knew about sympathetic injuries, having been taught about them during a synch test, and the fact that in extreme circumstances they were lethal.

The plug came into view, followed by Unit 01 wrapping a purple hand around it, and pulling it out without struggle. After setting it down in the most tender manner imaginable, and ejecting his own plug, he nearly tripped over himself as he pounded towards it.

What could possibly be the tomb of Rei Ayanami.

 _No it's not! She's alive,_ _ **I can feel her!**_

The emergency hatch had steam billowing off it, with the eject lever mangled. Yet he grasped it with all his strength and pulled. This pathetic piece of metal would not stop him.

The super heated metal burned, enough to sear the flesh of an unprotected hand, but fortunately his rubbery plugsuit managed to handle most of the heat. So focused on his task, Shinji didn't notice his tears of frustration and desperation splashing on the plug's side, then sizzling and evaporating into the humid air of a Japanese summer night.

He knew they could make another one, and probably would. But he didn't care about all the sciencebabble saying a clone was exactly the same as the person it came from. A life was a life. And it could not be replaced or replicated.

 _Spirits...you've taken so much from me. Mother, my home, my life! You've taken everything. But just this once..._ _ **just this fucking once let something go right! Let her be alright, and you can have the rest of my life as well!**_

The hatch came off, followed by a wave of LCL, which he struggled through to get inside. He had to see, had to know.

And it seemed that just this once, the Spirits had listened to his anguished prayers.

A pair of dazed but very much alive red eyes gazed back at his cerulean ones. The blue headed albino looked a little worse for wear, but other than that she was fine. No sympathetic injuries to take note of. Still the same quiet and reserved girl Shinji had met beneath the gaze Unit 01 and his father all those weeks ago.

"Ikari...you were successful." She said quietly.

"Yes...yes I was..." All the stress of the past few hours, all the turmoil he'd felt since returning to his home city, suddenly, if only for a little while, lifted from his shoulders, leading to a surge of emotion. Tears of relief flowed with reckless abandon as he bowed his head, his right arm supporting himself.

"You are crying, why?"

He raised his gaze to meet hers again, his mouth curving into a gentle smile.

 _You probably wouldn't understand. Hell, I don't understand myself._

"Promise me something, Ayanami-san."

"What is it?"

"Don't say goodbye like that again. It's just too sad." His words and tears further added to the albino's confusion.

 _How does one define caring for another? I believe that I feel it now...and it feels...pleasant._

"I...I do not know what to do in this situation." Her gaze did not leave him, as she waited for a command.

He sniffled a little more, before somehow exhaling the tears away.

"Why don't you try smiling?"

Rei pondered those words for a few moments, then did as she was told. To her surprise, as far as she could feel it, it didn't feel strained or forced whatsoever.

He couldn't blink for a while.

For Shinji Ikari felt he'd gazed upon the most beautiful thing in all creation, as if the Spirits themselves had crafted this art work with their own divine hands. Her smile was like mother's, full of warmth and understanding. And yet...there was more to it. There was so much innocence and sweetness, coupled with a hint at an impossibly deep reserve of compassion.

This was not the ghost of Yui Ikari's smile.

This was the smile of Rei Ayanami.

And it was beautiful.

"Come on, let's get you home." He stretched out a hand, which the bluehead gently took. Carefully, Shinji draped his sister's arm over his shoulder, and helped her out of the plug.

Having quickly used Unit 01's radio to notify the NERV staff that "Pilot Ayanami" was alive and he was bringing her to them, having heard a surprising amount of whooping on the other end, the two proceeded with their trek.

The stars continued to twinkle in the night sky, Shinji looking up at them. Once again, their light made Rei's skin glow.

 _Beautiful._

An ethereal beauty, but beauty nonetheless.

The bluehead took a quick glance upwards as well, admiring them in her own way, before her gaze once again fell upon her progenitor's child.

 _Your light is as bright as those stars, Ikari. I shall try to protect it._

And thus the two children, the Eva pilots whom had just saved the world, limped back to their lines. A now unbreakable bond having already been forged beneath the gaze of heaven.

* * *

 _02:35pm, Great British Empire, Imperial home islands, Leopard, New Windsor Palace._

The Seraph continued to smoke in its place of rest, as the Imperial government looked on.

It had seemed like everything was over but a few minutes before, when Unit 00 had fallen. But Unit 01, and it's undoubtedly brave pilot, had managed to win the day.

NERV had saved the world for the third time.

 _If they keep this up, the Seraphim will all be dead before we get the chance to have a crack at them._ Grand High Marshal Terrence Cromford mused with some humour, before his attention was caught by the sound of clapping.

The Emperor, slowly and methodically continued to bring his gloved hands together with a look of approval.

Swiftly the other three hundred people in the room joined him for fifteen seconds, until Charles desisted. His government being the good servants they were, followed suit.

"Well, that was quite a good game if I say so myself. Most excellent marksmanship." He contentedly sighed, rising from his throne, his wife following suit. Taking her hand in his own, the Emperor walked through the crowd which parted before him, stopping for just a few moments next to the Grand High Marshal.

"Cromford. Send a message of congratulations to Pilots Ikari and Ayanami...sign it with my name."

"Sire." Terrence bowed his head.

"Excellent, then that will be all for now. Good day everyone."

"Hail Vance! Hail Britain!" Three hundred people called out in unison.

"Yes yes, hail me." Charles said quietly enough for only himself and his wife to hear, eliciting quiet laughter from Abigail.

Terrence meanwhile had returned his gaze to the screen, fully taking in the thing which had just been slain by the Knights of NERV and their valiant steeds.

 _Just what the hell are we fighting?_ He ruminated, taking a sip from his own glass of wine.

 _Alcohol before tea time? Today is going to be interesting..._

"Marshal Cromford." A guardsman walked up to him, slamming a fist to his chest in salute.

"What is it?"

"The GAAFT council is in session. Your presence is required." The bearskinned soldier waited uncomfortably for a few moments, whilst Terrence sighed.

 _And now the worst part of my job...God things used to be easier..._

"Very well. I shall be there presently." He nodded reluctantly, taking one last glance at his Lord's disappearing back with the great doors closing behind him, the Emperor likely on his way back to his personal quarters.

 _Oh to be young again._

With that, after gently placing his now empty glass back on a silver platter brought to him by a footman, Terrence Cromford began his far too short a walk to the palace comms room.


	23. 5:6 The trials yet to be faced

_03:35pm, European League, Swiss Confederation, United Nations High Command, congressman's personal comms room/office_

The footage of two children limping away from the dented plug flickered in front of the assembled monoliths, whom resided in the untouchable shadows of digital space.

 _"The 6th Seraph is defeated. This is truly a day of jubilation, and with the arrival of the other two Units within the next month, our victory in this war is assured."_ 02 boomed.

 _"And victory shall lead to ascension and salvation for all. As the scrolls have ordained."_ 01 added, leading to some roars of "the fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth!" or "Heil SEELE!"

 _"Calm yourselves my faithful brethren. There are other matters of which we must speak...such as Ikari."_ Kasch's voice caused the din to die down, leaving only a few grumbles of utter disgust, along with murmurs of "damned unbeliever" or "heretic."

Eventually, 05 answered his overlord.

 _"He is plotting something, Grand Master. He must be, no man would so willingly work with the practical killers of his own wife. And considering his recent behaviour...it is likely he is pursuing his own agenda."_ He hadn't even finished speaking when 04 interrupted with a shrill French accent.

 _"We have always known that he has been planning something, and up until now it has been tolerated. But...we are too close, he must be removed."_

 _"No. Gendo Ikari is, and has been, a most useful instrument, whether he knows it or not. And removing him would require the United Nations to take direct control of NERV, something that GAAFT would never stand for. It would surely lead to a world war, and with humanity still under assault from the Seraphim...it would be disastrous."_ Kasch cut him off.

 _"Then we should have the Zunkft Legion on standby, in case he tries anything!"_ 05 barked.

 _"And how do you suggest we move ten thousand genetically enhanced super soldiers, their equipment, vehicles, and thirteen FCVs all at once without being detected? Our cloaking technology is advanced but not nearly adequate for such an operation."_ 07 harrumphed.

 _"Come now 07, our faith guarantees success!"_ The British General was in the process of saying, before the master's voice once again wormed its way into the ears of all.

 _"Indeed. But such drastic action is not necessary. We shall continue deployment of the Legion at the current rate, whilst one of our best operatives is currently travelling to Japan as we speak."_

07 snorted, joined by a slight chuckle from 13.

 _"Kaji-san...I cannot hope to understand your designs Grand Master, they are far beyond me. But...he is most unpredictable..."_

 _"Unpredictable? You misunderstand 07, Ryoji Kaji is far from unpredictable. In fact, his obsessive search for the truth behind Second Impact has moulded him into a most valuable instrument. He serves the will of the order excellently, and he does it without even knowing."_ Kasch waved such concerns away.

 _"Now, I believe this meeting is concluded. To your businesses gentlemen."_ He leaned back into his seat and began to cut his connection.

 _"Yes, Grand Master. The fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth!"_ All in unison called out before disappearing.

Now he was sitting in his private office, his fingers laced together.

 _Kaji will be most adequate in keeping an eye on Ikari. He is fortunate, as this is all that keeps his wretched life from being snuffed out. His crossing of us with the theft of Adam...shall warrant severe punishment._

The Grand Master of SEELE exhaled deeply through his biologically thirty-eight year old nose, closing his red eyes.

None save for the higher ranking members of SEELE had seen him in his natural state, of an unearthly individual whose skin was as white as porcelain, and whose combed, short, and unnaturally grey hair, added further strangeness. It was a mark of being touched by divinity though, in his eyes. By the grace of God he had been granted power unimagined by mortal men, and life everlasting.

A life he'd continued to live since that day in Megiddo over eight hundred years ago.

Craning his neck so as to click his bones back into place, the features of the United Nations puppet master began to change.

His hair darkened into black, his eyes took on a brown colour, and his skin became a more natural pale tinge. This was what he presented to the world, a grand trick he'd taught himself many years ago. As he knew people were not all that comfortable around something they found strange, and therefore were less easy to manipulate. The only exception to this rule was Gendo Ikari, Kasch mused. It confounded him how that man, with so many things clearly wrong about him, managed to ensnare hundreds to his will.

 _That is because he is lucky enough to surround himself with broken chess pieces. I do not have such a luxury._

Bringing up a light board in front of his computer screen, he tapped away until he could access the Zunkft Legion orders document. The commands to be issued on the ordained day when the harbingers of destiny would sweep forward, crush NERV into the dirt, and bring about the salvation of all.

In specific, he was checking the particular orders on what to do with the various staff members. The people that needed to be out of the way.

For the Grand Master was a methodical monster, and he liked nothing to be out of his notice.

Scrolling down, he began to read out the names in his mind, putting their pictures to memory.

 _Orders to be carried out on the 31st of December 2017 as part of Operation Ascendancy._

 _Gendo Ikari,_ _ **highest priority**_ _, kill on sight._

 _Kozo Fuyutsuki, irrelevant, but remove if convenient._

 _Ritsuko Akagi, irrelevant, but remove if convenient._

 _Shiro Tenka, irrelevant, but remove if convenient._

 _Misato Katsuragi, military experience, possible leader of resistance, high priority target, kill on sight._

 _All other staff are expendable but irrelevant._

 _Pilots Meadow, Zhou, Ivanov, and Johnson are to be terminated as swiftly as possible. Preventing them from reaching their respective Evas takes absolute priority along with removing Gendo Ikari._

 _The abomination Rei Ayanami is to have its heretical filth erased from the face of God's Earth. It must no be allowed to mar our passage. Kill on sight._

Then he reached the last set of names on the list, and a small smile curved itself into existence on his German lips.

Small, flickering orange lighting curled itself around the coffee cup on his desk, levitating it into his grasp. Quickly taking a sip of it before setting it down, the Grand Master's smile remained ever present.

"Oh my dear little lamb and noble deliverer. Your ordained purpose is almost at hand..."

* * *

 _02:40pm, Great British Empire, Imperial home islands, Leopard, New Windsor Palace, comms room._

The six holograms resided in a circle, all eyes keenly watching what was being displayed in the centre of the digital space they occupied.

 _"Our world is cruel for making us rely on_ _ **him**_ _."_ Premier Flipov shook his head, as the image of the previous battle was replayed over and over again. The worst part about the whole situation for the GAAFT council, was all they could do was simply **trust** a man who had said " _you will do as I say, unless you wish for death_."

 _"Yes. From what I've heard he wasn't even in overall command of the operation."_ General Motichka sneered.

 _"Then to whom do we owe our gratitude, aside from those brave Pilots?"_ Fabrice Larue, Prime Minister of the European League, and President of the French Republic, inquired.

 _"Lieutenant Colonel Misato Katsuragi was apparently the strategic mind behind it all."_ Chiso answered.

 _No surprise there...she cleared officer training in two years! Damn Ikari for snapping her up, wouldn't have minded someone like that on my personal staff..._

 _"That bespectacled and bearded ape is a politician not a soldier. Perhaps it is for the best that a slightly more intelligent ape oversee the operations. To think I must trust the Federation's safety with such_ _ **vermin**_ _."_ Princeps Henry Abrams growled, his now slightly wrinkled features being made ever more visible by his scowl.

"As loathe as I am to understand your feelings **Federal** -" Grand High Marshal Cromford snarled.

"-the matter of the fact is NERV's Supreme Commander has the entire earth by the proverbial balls. Now apparently the UN has sent on of its top agents to keep an eye on him, but as we all know UNIS is the _apex_ of intelligence services."

 _If I could only get an Inquisitor of MI6 in there for just an hour, we could have Ikari's head on a silver platter. But alas..._

 _"United Nations Intelligence Service...KGB had already infiltrated it years before Vatican Treaty. Absolutely pathetic..."_ Boris grumbled.

 _"That aside, at least one thing in our favour is that Units 02 and 03 will be arriving in Japan shortly. Though she may technically be NERV personnel, Pilot Soryu is German in blood and nature. She has little sympathy for Ikari, and as for Pilot Meadow..."_ Fabrice despairingly shook her head whilst Terrence chuckled.

 _"What? Is anyone on the Earth's inability to control Imperial glory these days a good thing for once?"_ His words caused the French woman to scowl.

The people of France had not forgotten their humiliation at Britain's hands. Nor had they forgiven it.

 _We will reclaim what we lost you Imperial_ _ **salaud**_ _. And I want to see your arrogant face when we do..._

 _"Perhaps."_

 _"The same goes for Unit 04 and Pilot Johnson. Her loyalty to her fatherland is utterly admirable. It is useful and relieving for us that Ikari does not have absolute authority over most of his Pilots...granted it would be better if we could simply remove him-"_ The Princeps gaze narrowed as the President of China, Cao Xu, guffawed.

 _"You have something to say, monkey?"_ Abrams raised an eyebrow, gaining a few looks of disdain from the other GAAFT members.

 _It is not the fault of the master to recognize the inferiority of the weak. One day you will learn this, mark my words._

Xu ran a hand through his thirty year old black hair.

 _"Only a fool would think we could remove, Ikari. It is as my capitalist friends say, the Mogui has the world by the balls."_ He gave a quick glance at Terrence before continuing.

 _"And besides, even if we could, then the UN would simply take control of NERV, or a conflict may even be started between us. I'm not sure which is the worse alternative."_

 _"Old sloths...and they had the audacity to try and make us bow to their will? When will they learn the old world is truly dead..."_ Terrence grumbled, simultaneously dwelling on what a world without GAAFT would be like.

 _Congressman Laberenz would have dominion over the earth. God forbid such a thing._

 _"Gentlemen...and lady-"_ Chiso gave a nod at Fabrice which was reciprocated.

 _"We're digressing. I believe that Ikari-san is more of a problem that any of us first thought."_

 _"Continue."_ Boris had his hands folded beneath his chin.

 _"The Ministry of the Interior has been keeping as much of an eye on him as possible without a UN permit. And from what they can gather...he knows a lot more than he's telling us."_ She tapped a finger on her desk, her expression growing ever more concerned.

 _"How so?"_ Xu tilted his head.

 _"Are you aware he'd vanished off to heaven knows where when the 5th Seraph attacked? Or that he probably knows the exact time and date for when these Seraphim will show up? Or that he may or may not have been in Antarctica a few days before Second Impact..."_

 _"Good God! And the sources of this information?"_ Terrence leaned forward, his curiosity piqued.

 _"Dead. Some of our best as well..."_ Chiso's fist balled for a few moments before relaxing.

 _"In short, the man thinks he's untouchable and all powerful. And may be willing to do anything to keep it that way. Because of that he's done some..._ _ **strange things**_ _, as you all know. And keeps on doing it, regardless of what others think. He genuinely believes he holds all the cards and we are hopeless to do anything...but he's not quite right..."_ She trailed off for a few moments, before a mutter of _"get to the point"_ from Henry caused her to continue.

 _"What I am saying is that we shouldn't be ready for_ _ **if**_ _he makes a mistake, but_ _ **when**_ _he makes a mistake. I've known men like him before, hell, I defeated men like him during the Communist invasion. They were very intelligent, but by the Spirits they were over confident. And when they slipped up, I was there to finish them...I say we do the same here. Patience will win this for us my friends."_ She gained a few murmurs of approval.

 _"In fact I shall relocate myself and my staff to Tokyo-3, so as to be ready for when he slips up."_

 _"That carries great personal risk, General."_ Xu said in a tone that indicated some respect.

 _"Indeed. But, it is about time I shared my people's danger."_

 _It feels right for me to be there...I'm tired of my desk job anyway. Besides...I will be the one to end his life. And no one else._

 _"Well it's settled then. The good General here shall be on standby to remove Ikari with our blessing at the opportune moment."_ Fabrice said, gaining a few nods of agreement.

Terrence stood up from his seat, clicking his bones back into place before saying _"I think that's all then gentlemen...and ladies."_ He added, gaining some chuckles, before continuing.

 _"Meeting adjourned."_

* * *

 _The realm of Vhaayn_

"The, Vooren have shown themselves to be more durable than first thought." Netzach tapped an armoured finger on his throne, whilst before him stood his children debating grand strategy.

"Durable? Father they have slain three of our siblings. They are somewhat more than **durable**." Bardiel stalked around the room, hands clasped behind his back, black armour clanking as he did so.

"They are organized, they are prepared, they are ready for us whenever we strike. Far from the worthless weaklings we all thought them to be by my reckoning. Brute strength alone might not carry the day..." Zeruel boomed, whilst he looked over a great map of modern day earth. He could scarcely comprehend just how much the world had changed, with seven different continents separated by great oceans, instead of only vast landmasses boxed together so very closely.

It seemed _Ejrod_ , or "Columbia" as the Vooren called it, was gone forever.

The foremost of the Sovereign's Generals, his favoured son and Heir, the Successor to the throne, massaged his grey eyebrows, thinking of many different strategies. All of which were useless in this situation.

"Of course brute force would never succeed, we don't even fully understand what our enemy is!" Leilel pointed out the obvious, as she usually did.

"You don't have to understand something to kill it!" Rogziel snarled, orange lightening flashing around him.

"Control your temper dear brother. Whilst it is most amusing, your inane ramblings and screaming will hardly fetch our idiotic siblings back from _Rihuv_." Arael chuckled, lying slouched on his throne, one hand supporting his bored looking face.

"Try and control your bladder by the time I'm done with you **freak**! How dare you insult those a thousand fold more noble than your wretched hide!" Rogziel drew his blade before being reluctantly restrained by Israfel and Samael, with a fair few grumblings of "for the sake of the gods brother!"

Tabris watched these events unfold with vague interest. To him, this was usual behaviour for his family, for despite the love the children of the Lord of Ash possessed for one another, they were Divine.

And Divine were short tempered at the best of times...

"Enough."

Netzach caused total silence to fall. He hadn't even raised his voice.

"Have the arrangements been made?" He demanded.

"...our niece will be moved into the Royal quarters by the end of this day, father." Sahaquiel, the largest of Netzach's children, remarked in a sombre manner, his double chin reverberating with every word he spoke.

 _We will take care of her, sister...may that give you some solace in the great halls of the gods..._

"Good. Tabris, I leave Heir Rezel in your charge. Do not disappoint me." His words were met with a humble but confused bow of the young man's head.

"Of course, father...but surely there are more adequate..."

"Are you questioning my will?"

"...yes." Tabris put plainly and bluntly. This elicited some wide eyes and chuckles from his siblings.

A resigned sigh escaped the Divine Lord's lips.

 _Like his mother..._

"One day you shall sire children of your own, Tabris. As you are still young, I think it best to get you into practice." Netzach partially lied. It was true, he did need the boy to learn some responsibility for his own future children, but those were secondary motives.

 _Rezel is a child, not even six years old. She_ _ **needs**_ _compassion above all else at this moment. And you my son are the softest of us all._

"I shall do my best, father." Tabris bowed his head once again, as while he still questioned his father's command, he would never disobey it.

"That will do. What stratagems do we have then, for gaining victory in this terrible struggle?" The grey haired Divine changed the subject effortlessly.

There was deathly silence for nearly a minute.

"Well?"

"I believe we have focused far too much on the destruction of the restriction. From what Haniel's reports are saying, that objective has proven a distraction which the enemy have taken advantage of." Zeruel scratched the back of neck.

"If we were to concentrate our efforts on destroying the Vooren war machines, then gaining access to the restriction will be no trouble."

"A good assessment. But we are not fighting a conventional war. Thanks to the Vooren somehow discovering the power to keep my rift in check, we can deploy no armies, we cannot lay siege, we cannot even intimidate our enemy into surrendering. Not to mention while we have some small understanding of their culture, we know nothing of these... _Evangelions_." Netzach pronounced the word dreadfully, as it was from a tongue alien to his own.

"Precisely why we should try and capture one of them for questioning. If we are to be victorious...we must know our enemy." Leilel cut in, gaining a roll of the eyes from Rogziel.

"What is there to understand, dear sister? They are Vooren, nothing but insects to be crushed beneath the boot of our might."

"If we were so mighty, then we would have won by now. But quite clearly, dear brother, we are not-" She didn't have time to finish her sentence.

For the sound of the doors creaking open caused silence to fall, as Haniel briskly walked into the near empty chamber, and fell to one knee before Netzach. He was the Fist, and he brought news. News that all present needed to hear.

"My Lord, I bring word of the enemy's activity." His head remained bowed, his white hair almost touching the floor.

"Speak."

Haniel composed himself.

"If my sources are correct, then NERV is shipping two more of these _Evangelions_ to _Japan_. They will arrive within the next fifteen moons."

"By the gods..." Leilel muttered as the rest of her brothers and sisters started bickering among themselves.

"We have to strike now! We have to overwhelm them before those reinforcements arrive-" Armisael, the fourth youngest, had jumped from her chair. The arguing persisted for a few moments, until Netzach called for quiet with the mere raising of his hand.

"Do we know their route?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Excellent." Netzach flashed a grin whilst nodding his head, turning to his now eldest living child.

"Gaghiel, you will intercept and destroy these things before they reach land. Then return to me, that is my command. Haniel shall brief you when I'm finished with him."

"It will be done, father." Gaghiel, the green armoured giant, the Admiral of the Sovereign's now non-existent fleet, bowed his head.

"Good. Now, be about your business, my children, I have matters to discuss with my Fist." He didn't wave his hand, or even gesture for fourteen beings who packed enough power to tear worlds asunder to leave.

They simply bowed their heads, then did as they were commanded.

"It all used to be so easy...the _Taylus_ , the _Fleilan_ , the _Fheiran_ , they all bent to my will eventually. But these Vooren...why must we be cursed with the most difficult of enemies **now**?" Netzach massaged his eyes, leaning on his arm. Haniel merely chuckled.

"Not as young as we once were eh?"

"Indeed...oh, forgive me. Rise." The Sovereign gestured for his most loyal of servants to rise, his ancient mind having been enraptured by possible strategies through which _Ejrod_ would be returned to their rule. Having been on one knee for quite a while, Haniel was all too happy to stand up straight again, his left hand curved around his sheathed sword hilt.

"I presume you have more information for me than what my Heirs have just heard?" The Divine Lord drummed his fingers on the arm of his obsidian throne.

"Yes, my Lord...where to begin?" With his unoccupied hand, the white haired Divine scratched the back of his head.

The drumming of his master's fingers did not desist.

"I have discovered the age of those who sit astride the Evangelions. It's almost impossible..." Haniel frowned at how disturbing it was.

"How old? Surely not eighteen?"

The Sovereign's Fist uncomfortably sighed.

"Sixteen, my Lord."

The drubbing of fingers stopped.

Lord Netzach, an individual whom had personally slain thousands and bested gods, slowly but inevitably leaned back into his throne, his eyes widening slightly. And what he had to say next on the matter, much summed up his attitude towards this new found knowledge.

"Pardon?"

* * *

 _06:00am, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, fortified position 21_

The sun had risen about half an hour ago, its rays being cast over the Japanese capital city, the hills surrounding it...and the eldritch abomination that still smouldered within it.

With the aid of binoculars, cranes could be seen moving into position, NERV personnel scrambling around as they cordoned off the area. Sergeant Yukimura lowered his them, whilst sitting upon the Akuma's turret. His men, currently residing on the forward section of the tank.

Having been moved there in the chaos after the 6th Seraph had decided to perch itself over Tokyo 3, all the men of the Tokyo-3 garrison could do was sit tight and watch the battle unfold. They hadn't been disappointed.

"So a trigger happy octahedron had the capital in lock down for nine hours and we could do jack shit! This-" Eiji gestured at the diamond like corpse in the distance with both arms, one hand holding a bottle of beer.

"Don't say it..." Seiichi murmured.

"-Can't get anymore fucking strange. It just can't!"

Kiyoshi rolled his eyes, and Seiichi turned to him with an exasperated look.

" **You had to say it, didn't you?** I'm half expecting a giant **eye** to fall out of the sky right about now, for fuck's sake man..."


	24. 6:1 Lessons on life

" _If you face your enemy without a single advantage, then you will be without victory."  
_

 _ **High Field Marshal Alexander Meadow, supreme commander of the Imperial Britannic Army, speaking to General Bartholomew after the rout of Paris.**_

* * *

 _12:07pm, Monday the 10th of July, Tokyo-3, NERV quarters_

The necessity of synch tests was something Shinji didn't call into question these days. They were something he accepted, along with all the early mornings he had to work.

 _Early mornings? Is this just a job to me now?_

Life was proving to be more interesting than he could ever have imagined in that dingy little apartment in Kure. It was alien to have so many things to do, especially after two years of doing nothing but eating, sleeping, reading, a bit of exercise, and playing his cello. Nowadays, he had more strenuous things to attend to. Surprisingly enough, his role of saving the earth being among the least of his problems.

"Shinji-kun!? Do you know where my dress is?" The voice of one of his chief _tasks_ echoed from her room.

"It's in the wash!" He called back.

"In the wash? But that's my favourite one! When will it be dry?"

"It'll be dry when it's dry. You'll have to wear something casual today!" Shinji sighed with mock despair.

 _I thought she's supposed to be_ _ **my**_ _guardian, not the other way around!_

Eventually, Misato did come into the kitchen, where the brown haired boy was sitting down and eating his toast. Said piece of bread nearly fell out of his mouth upon seeing her in nothing more than a T-shirt and underwear. Whilst said tight fitting clothes, or lack thereof, were distracting and embarrassing, it was another matter which absorbed his attention.

"I-I just ironed those yesterday." He stammered.

"Yeah...so?" She tilted her head, taking a quick look at the horrendously creased clothing she had on her.

"How are they so creased already...you left them on the floor didn't you?"

"So..?" She plopped herself down on a kitchen chair, not in a normal manner, but with her... **bare**...long legs curled beneath her.

 _Hey, I was busy okay! Protecting humanity from giant monsters is tiring as hell._

"So, is it really that hard, to pick them up, put them on the hanger, then back in the wardrobe? I'm not very good at a lot of things, Misato-san, **but I can do that**." Blue and brown didn't break contact for a while, before both of them broke into laughter over the silliness of the situation.

"You're complementing yourself about something now?Spirits on high I must have done something **really** wrong." His guardian leaned back in her seat and folded her arms behind her head.

"It's not a compliment when it's a fact..." Shinji said sardonically.

"Hm. You don't have to go to school today you know?" Misato said, picking up a mug of coffee he'd had left out for her.

The boy pondered that for a while before shrugging.

"Maybe...but I kind of enjoy it these days. Anyway, it's history this afternoon and I promised Aida-san I'd be there for his presentation... " He remembered the optional assignment of doing "a presentation on a great post-impact battle" and his... _friend_...actually jumping at the opportunity. Much to Toji's horror.

" _He knows so much about it, we'll be there for_ _ **hours**_ _."_ The jock's moan echoed in Shinji's head, causing him to smile a little.

"Friend of yours right?" The purple head further inquired, slotting some bread of her own in the toaster.

"Yes...I suppose..."

 _ **Told you**_ _. Not so lonely anymore are you?_ Misato sipped some more of her coffee, dwelling over what presentations were like for her back in college.

 _Oh Spirits...Rits-chan getting to talk about Science took up the whole lesson..._

Whilst the purple head's own toast popped out of the toaster, Shinji had gone into his room and was gathering his school things together with some haste. Controlled haste, but still haste. For there were other reasons he wished to get to school today.

 _I want to walk Ayanami-san home this afternoon. See if I can do anything about her apartment._

"Hey, did you hear on the news? The bitch herself is coming to Tokyo-3." Misato half laughed half sneered, opening up a can of beer, pulled from a pack she'd only just retrieved from the fridge.

"The General? Why?" He called back.

"To keep an eye on us of course. Motichka-sama always hates not having things under her control, especially the Evas. With her in town she might actually try and get you to work for her, so stay sharp." The thirty year old quickly downed a quarter of the can, her utterance of _sama_ being laced with sarcasm.

"Why would she want **me** to work for her?"

"An Eva under her command would be quite an addition to Japan's arsenal, and leverage over your father. She'd do anything for either." The purplehead's attention was caught by some warking by her feet, and a beak slightly prodding her thigh.

"Hey, Pen. You want some?" She raised an eyebrow as the Penguin made many a noise of approval. In a casual manner she plucked another can from the pack, and handed it to the genetically enhanced penguin. A wark of gratitude echoed throughout the kitchen, with Shinji only catching the sound of Pen-pen's fridge door sliding shut as he returned from his room.

"You know beer probably isn't any good for him?" He shook his head, slinging his school bag over his shoulder.

"Oh he's fine, he loves it really."

"I'm sure...don't forget to put your cutlery away!" Shinji made his way to the front door.

"Yes Mom!"

Out of her eyesight, the boy had to frantically fight a flinch whilst simultaneously appreciating the humour.

 _Of_ _ **course**_ _she wouldn't mean it like that._

Putting his hand on the door panel, he stopped for a moment before calling out again.

"I might be home a bit late. I'm going to try and walk Ayanami-san back to her apartment this afternoon."

It was Misato's turn to squirm.

 _How crazy...you don't know everything about her but you_ _ **know**_ _she's a clone at least. They don't_ _ **have**_ _feelings Shinji, especially not that one. I hope you understand someday..._

"Alright, but be back before dark!"

"Okay, see you later!" The sixteen year old pressed the panel, causing the door to slide open, before he walked out of it, the slab of metal sealing shut behind him.

* * *

 _2:15pm, Sengokuhara high school_

"That was an excellent summary of the battle of Hoyo strait. Very well done, Kirishima-san." Mr Sisata gave a nod at the dark redheaded student, who smiled and bowed politely then returned to her seat.

"Now then..." His speech faltered as he chuckled to himself.

"You have fifteen minutes, Aida-san. Don't go overboard. And yes, your request to do the _battle of Hoth_ was very amusing." This elicited laughter from the class, before the sandy haired geek stood up and made his way to the front, a nervous yet enthusiastic look etched into his freckly features.

"Okay, my presentation is about the 2005 battle of Dogger bank. I've already emailed my stuff to _Sensei_ so..." He gave a sheepish look at the old man, who simply stood aside and allowed the fifteen year old to access his console. After a few moments of accessing files, Kensuke opened up his presentation. There were some groans upon the quick glimpse of how many slides there were, but Toji just smiled, as if he'd expected it.

Clasping his hands together in a manner more awkward than anything Shinji could ever manage, he began with a sparkle of joy in his brown eyes.

"Alright, the battle of Dogger bank was fought between the British North Sea Fleet and the German High Seas fleet on the 29th of December 2005. The Kaiserreich had the most powerful navy in continental Europe at the time, and its High Seas fleet composed the majority of it, sixty warships altogether. Four Aircraft carriers and an assortment of advanced destroyers, corvettes, and frigates." He tapped the board, causing the next slide to show up.

It was an impressive display, one of the High Seas fleet setting sail from Hamburg. Black, white, and red naval ensigns of the German Empire fluttering proudly from every single tree in a forest of ships.

 _Reminds me of the Naval reviews at Kure._ Shinji fondly mused.

"At this time, the Great British Empire was engaged in a war on two fronts, with the Federation in the west, and Europe in the east. Of course the Grand fleet, the bulk of the Imperial navy, was deployed to the Irish sea to fight off the Federals. That only left twenty ships of the North Sea fleet to defend the English channel."

Kensuke tapped the board again. This time, a map of continental western Europe was brought up. From Gibraltar to Norway, the entire coast was covered in Navy blue, with various arrows of the same colour pointing outwards and further into the continent.

"Before the Federation launched their surprise attack, Europe was on the brink of total obliteration. The armies of France had been pushed back to Paris, the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Belgian, Danish, and Norwegian armies had been utterly smashed, and even the Germans were pretty badly beaten at Beauvais. But with the Federal conquest of Ireland and march on Birmingham, Imperial armies were spread thin. So the Germans thought they could break the Empire's supply lines in a decisive engagement."

The next slide came on, showing a map of the Baltic and north sea, a black arrow extending from Hamburg to Portsmouth.

"Plan-S or _Sieg_ as it was called, was the Europeans last throw of the dice. If it was successful, they hoped that Britain would be forced to sue for peace. To accomplish that, the High Seas fleet, under the command of Grand Admiral Degenhard, would sail from Hamburg to clear the English channel and attack Portsmouth, cutting Imperial supplies for the campaign in France. They knew from Satellite imagery that they outnumbered the Imperials three to one. And so they committed to the plan."

Next slide.

One which depicted battle plans in the Imperial language.

"Problem was, the Empire wanted them to come. Emperor Charles and his Marshals had decided to conclude the war with Europe from a position of strength. They needed troops and ships to be freed up for the war against the Federation, but they couldn't look weak. Crushing the High Seas fleet would force Europe to the negotiating table on their knees. And this was what they were going to accomplish that with..."

The next slide Kensuke brought up, was of a ship that would have seemed totally antiquated to most navies in 1999 AD, but was now one of the mainstays of a modern navy.

The battlecruiser.

"This is HMS Hood, an Indefatigable class battlecruiser, the flagship of the Imperial navy's first battlecruiser squadron, and the first ship of its kind. Its design is actually a modernised version of the old Royal Navy _Admiral_ class. Only one of them was ever put into service by the United Kingdom, and that one was lost in 1941, with the ship you see here being named after it. In late 2005 however, the Empire had five of these, whereas now there are about thirty. The advent of the A-T field being used for purposes of shielding brought about the _Second age of the battleship_ , in which these were the vanguard. So, as you can imagine, the Germans got quite a surprise."

The next slide showed the darkness of an early European December morning being illuminated by the blasts of ship mounted rail guns and the launching of cruise missiles.

"This picture was taken onboard the HMS Anson, another battlecruiser, right when the Imperials opened fire. They'd moved to intercept the Germans around half an hour beforehand. The picture's pretty dark, but the High Seas fleet was within visual range. They'd already used up their payload of missiles on doing absolutely **nothing** to the Empire's shielding. That was when they found out just how heavily armed and **fast** the Imperial ships were."

Kensuke paused for a moment with a thoughtful expression.

"We all know what it's like when the enemy thinks they have the advantage, and then they find out just how dead wrong they are..." Vicious chuckles echoed across the room, Shinji among them.

 _Damned Tokuajin._

"Aida-san. Stay on topic." Mr Sisata had raised an eyebrow causing the geek to go rigid with embarrassment.

"Sorry, sensei! Anyway, Admiral Colran, the commander of the North Sea fleet, ordered his battlecruiser squadron to just steam straight into the German formation...the High Seas Fleet got cut to pieces. The order to retreat was given...and then Colran's capability became obvious to all."

Next slide.

The black arrow showing the movement of the High Seas fleet, being met by a Navy blue arrow in the north sea was shown to have been turned back, only to be intercepted by another blue arrow that had split off from the main force and circled around.

They were almost cut off.

"By the way, that arrow looks small, but that's the majority of the North Sea fleet. A bunch of Destroyers, Corvettes, and Submarines broke off from the battlecruisers before they engaged, and flanked around. The German Vice Admiral, nowadays Grand Admiral Scheer saw the danger, and ordered his aircraft to launch, so as to buy the fleet some time to escape. The Imperials lost two Corvettes from that." Kensuke paused, licking his lips as he'd talked himself dry.

"Scheer got his ships out, Degenhard decided to fight to the end. Out of the sixty vessels of the High Seas fleet, only eleven escaped. One of them being Scheer's flagship, the aircraft carrier SMS Koniggratzer."

The following slide showed an image of many well dressed middle aged men and women, dignitaries of all the remaining free states of Europe, humbly bowing before a fifteen year old boy with blonde hair, sapphire eyes, white cape, and navy blue military uniform.

"The Empire's victory at Dogger bank utterly shattered whatever resolve the Europeans had left. And with the Russians massing on their borders, they had to come to the negotiating table, which resulted in the treaty of Paris on the 10th of January 2006. The entire western coast of Europe was ceded to Britain, who could then turn their full might on the Federation armies in the Imperial home islands, crushing them, which would eventually lead to the invasion and conquest of the American east coast. I believe the battle of Dogger bank was instrumental in the shaping of the west as it is today, and if the Empire continues to expand, we may feel its influence too." Kensuke blushed when he received a resounding applause from his class mates, having finally finished.

For most in that class knew just how much he was was interested by naval warfare and anything military related. If he didn't go on for too long, it was actually something of a joy and a privilege to listen, as he had a bottomless well of knowledge to let loose upon the Earth.

"Spirits he had to condense that." Toji whispered quietly to Shinji. The mousey haired sixteen year old raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Very well done, Aida-san. I see you're actually listening to me when it comes to downsizing your presentations." Sisata smiled and nodded, Kensuke making a polite bow in response then returnin to his seat.

"Nice one." Toji patted him on the shoulder, with Shinji adding "well done", as he didn't know what else to say.

* * *

 _3:00pm_

After the presentation on the siege of Quebec was finished, the day was over. Whilst the thought of what the Federals had done at the former Canadian city made Shinji's stomach squirm, he was still in something that resembled a good mood.

He honestly enjoyed the company of his... **friends**.

Now there was a bizarre thought to him. For the young man had never had such a thing as _friends_ before. And for the longest time he didn't think he'd ever be getting any. As was to be expected of someone as _dislikeable_ as him.

 _Even if I don't deserve that kind of thing...I'm happy to have it._

"So...how big is the Imperial fleet these days?" Toji's question took Shinji out of his moment of self reflection. Said question being directed at Kensuke.

"The Imperial Navy or the Air Fleet?" The bespectacled boy tilted his head.

"Both."

Kensuke scratched the back of his head, whilst he and everyone else in the class started packing up their things.

"The Air Fleet is fifty-five ships strong, fifty of them being Renown class and the other five being Dauntlesses. As for the navy, there's fifteen battleships, most of them being Vanguard class, although I think they launched a new one recently...the _Empress Abigail_ class or something..."

Shinji blocked that out, as was his specialty, whilst Toji listened on, a tired smile further growing on his face.

"Kensuke-san." He said as they walked through the corridor after the nerd had talked for five minutes straight.

"Hmm huh?" Kensuke stopped mid explanation on the top speed of a Type 45.

"You're going on again, buddy. Time to change topic." The jock patted the shorter geek on the back with surprising gentleness.

"Hey, Ikari-san, if he ever bores you just tell him, he won't know otherwise." Toji advised his new friend.

"Um, thanks. I'll keep that in mind..." A sudden flash of short blue hair going past him caught Shinji's eyes.

"I-I've got to go...things to do..." He nervously started edging away, Toji titling his head, and Kensuke raising a sandy eyebrow.

"Things to do with Ayanami-san I presume? Well as long as you take protection everything will be fine." The two students had to stifle their sniggers when their classmate's face turned redder than the eyes of an enraged Seraph.

"It's...it's...not like that...gah!" Forcing himself away, he hurried on after the quiet albino, his insides convulsing in disgust.

 _It's classified information, need to know only. I just wish I could tell them to make them shut up._

Yet a little part of him wasn't overly fussed by this. In fact, their teasing was actually funny upon later thought. It would have to be later though, as the back of a blue haired girl came into view by the school entrance.

"Hey...uh...Ayanami-san!" He called out.

Rei stopped in her tracks and turned around. Her expression remained blank, but Shinji understood he had her **undivided** attention right then and there. And this was a privilege only a few other people on Earth had.

"Ikari, your expression is very red."

He found himself smiling at that.

"Yes, I suppose I am. How are you holding up?"

"I am not holding anything..."

The brown haired boy quickly and quietly stifled his laugh before straightening up with a humoured yet apologetic expression.

"Sorry, _how are you holding up_ is sort of another way of saying _how are you_?"

She looked semi-thoughtful for a moment, dwelling on what to say.

 _I know not how to describe myself. But what negative thing am I not currently?_

"I am not unwell."

Shinji sighed and nodded, not quite the answer he was looking for, but satisfactory. Far better than just being ignored.

"Ayanami-san...I was wondering...if...if..."

 _Just say it you idiot._

"Would you like me to walk you home? Also your house is a little messy so I wondered if I could help you tidy it up a little..." He trailed off, blushing ferociously.

Rei stood there, like a computer carrying out calculations. And then, upon finishing said calculations, she nodded slightly.

"I take no issue with it. You may come home with me."

Rei didn't understand why Shinji's blush somehow increased, why it looked like his veins would burst or that he would pass out. For the ethereal girl couldn't quite grasp what she said might be interpreted in...a less than innocent manner.

Tilting her head slightly, the albino looked past him, fixing her attention on something else.

"It seems the Suzuhara and Aida desire your attention."

Following her gaze, the meek young man made eye contact with the two, who had been walking up behind him.

"Sorry to disturb you, but do you mind if we borrow your boyfriend for a bit, Ayanami-san?" Kensuke grinned cheekily and Toji sighed.

Even she seemed semi-surprised by the statement, looking back and forth between the two boys and Shinji. All whilst the brown haired boy in question made varying noises of total discomfort.

"You appear to be mistaken. I harbour no attraction of that kind for my colleague. However, you may indeed _borrow_ him."

Sighing, her progenitor's child straightened himself up before turning back to her.

"I-I won't be long."

"I shall wait." And that was exactly what the albino did, as this boy so strange to her, was proverbially hauled off.

* * *

"What's all this about?" Shinji said irritably, the three of them making their way to a more private part of the school, where at this time of day its various buildings blocked out the sun.

"I was just having a talk with Kensuke-san...and I felt this needs to happen." Toji said quietly.

When they reached the shade, the black haired boy inhaled deeply, composing himself.

"Hit me."

The demand hung in the air for a while.

"What?" Shinji said, aghast.

"You heard me! I beat the snot out of you, so it's only fair!"

He frantically looked at Kensuke for help, only getting a shrug of the shoulders.

"Look, we can't be friends until you hit me. Then all this nasty shit gets put in the past." Toji pressed.

"But...but...uh..gah, fine!" Reluctantly, but inevitably, as if relenting to other people's demands again, he moved a bit closer to the taller boy, his fist balling and his arm winding back.

"No holding back." The jock narrowed his eyes.

For a moment he hesitated, his hand trembling slightly. The thought of inflicting physical violence on anything had always been abhorrent to him, so much so he even felt some guilt over the various Seraphim whose lives he had taken. Not that he would happily let **them** end everything, but he just wasn't a confrontational, nor vindictive person. But once again, duty called. His fist arced around and smacked into Toji's jaw.

What happened next, surprised Shinji.

Toji Suzuhara, a boy much taller and muscular than him, spun round from the impact, collapsing, a few droplets of blood pattering on the floor.

" **Oh Spirits I'm so sorry!** " He shrieked in horror as he knelt down to his friend's level, Kensuke following behind him. Toji looked a little dazed, but not at all angry. In fact, he looked relieved, as if many weeks worth of guilt had just dropped off his shoulders.

"You alright, Toji-san?" The geek put a hand on his best friend's shoulder with a look of absolute concern.

Toji sat up, wiping the blood away from his mouth with his sleeve.

"Spirits _,_ Shinji-san, you hit like a fucking train. Remind me to never piss you off." He chuckled, Kensuke eventually joining him in what could be seen as relief.

The young man in question shook his head.

"You people are lunatics."

 _Eh, looks like I'm in good company then..._

* * *

 _3:30pm, NERV quarters, eastern sector._

Rei did not hold the door open for him, as was to be expected. It was with no annoyance that Shinji caught said door with his hands when it nearly closed in his face. The apartment was still the same as it was the last time he'd visited. On the day they'd faced the 6th Seraph and scarcely walked away with their lives. Occasionally, he would wake up in a cold sweat, having dreamed of pulling the hatch off the plug, only finding Rei's burned and mangled carcass, what remained of her face contorted in a silent scream of agony. He didn't know whether or not it was worse than his other nightmares. It was just that it was a new one which gave him trouble. He'd adapt to it however, it would become normalized like the rest.

Having walked through the filthy kitchen, he found Rei sitting on her bed, hunched over and looking at the floor.

"Um...are you...what are you doing?" He'd had to correct the _are you alright_ question he'd created in his grey matter, as it was clear the albino didn't understand that sort of thing. It was a very strange thing for Shinji to find someone even more socially inept than him. It put him in the position of mentor when it came to such things as societal norms now, a position he wasn't at all comfortable with.

"I am sitting on my bed." She whispered.

"I...I can see that, Ayanami-san. But why?" He said, taking stock of the _pit_ that was Rei Ayanami's humble abode.

 _Spirits I've got my work cut out for me._

"There is little else to do. Dinner is not until 5:00, and it will not be dark until sometime after that. And so I wait, until there is something worth doing."

Within Shinji, anger bubbled and boiled again, only just being able to contain it.

This had to be his father's work. He'd kept her isolated and alone for all these years in this filthy hovel, in what the young man could only think was an attempt to make her a mindless slave. Why? He didn't know. But this was something he could easily see Gendo Ikari doing.

 _That's probably just me being angry with him. Father isn't a pleasant man but he's not..._ _ **evil**_ _...that's just ridiculous..._

"Alright. Can I put your clothes away...they are kind of everywhere." He put on a small smile, another part of his brain dwelling upon finding something for her to do.

She nodded politely, but remained where she was.

Many things were scattered across that filthy floor. Shirts, skirts, ties...underwear. The wimpy boy found himself fighting back an almost unstoppable blush.

"These are filthy." He noted with slight alarm, turning back to Rei who stared back. She raised no objections.

"Where's your washing machine?"

"In the kitchen. Next to the sink."

Bundling a whole pile of clothes together, dark blue school uniform and white underwear, the mousey haired boy made his way to the kitchen, having to occasionally stop to pick up the odd sock which had fallen off.

"What are you doing?" Rei's words caused him to stop for a moment, before he directed his gaze in her direction.

"I'm putting these in the washing machine."

"But it is not the allocated day."

"What do you mean by _allocated_?" Shinji titled his head.

"In the regime the Commander has set out for me, Friday's are the allocated wash days."

 _No, screaming about how she doesn't have to do everything he tells her isn't going to help...try something else..._

"Okay, I suppose that makes a little sense. But if you do it a few times a week, your workloads are smaller and you have more clothes to use overall. It's a bit more efficient." He offered.

She mulled over it for a few moments, a small frown developing on her face which made his heart melt.

"Your logic is...sound..." She sounded distant, as if this thought had never occurred to her.

"I'll just put these in, give me a moment." He said gently, then proceeded into the kitchen. Finding the appropriate cleaning detergent and fabric softener, he turned the machine on for a good thirty minute wash, with its contents sloshing and tumbling merrily.

That being finished, Shinji began his thorough inspection of the kitchen.

Grime.

Dirty dishes.

Filthy floors.

Broken cutlery.

All the things teacher would have given him a bleeding nose for.

Opening the sink cupboard door again, he managed to find some anti-bacterial spray which seemed like it had seen Second Impact, and a mangy old dishcloth.

 _If that's what I've got, then that's what I'll work with._

Spraying and scrubbing a good deal of the mantle-piece, he managed to get some sort of shine on the taps and such. But there were _growths_ there he'd probably need the cleaning equivalent of _heavy fire power_ to get rid of.

Before he could return to Rei however, Shinji felt compelled to clean away all the broken crockery and glass scattered around.

His _sister_ appeared to be so emotionally and socially stunted, she had no clue these things could do her harm.

 _I hope she's never cut herself._

His work complete after half an hour, the young man made his way back into the _bedroom_ , fiddling with the collar of his school uniform as a drop of sweat trickled down the back of his neck due to the heat in this stuffy apartment. Clearly it was so dilapidated, it didn't even have air conditioning. Whether or not that affected Rei, who remained silently sitting on her bed not appearing to have a care in the world, was another matter.

"It's quite a mess in there. I'll bring some stronger cleaning stuff tomorrow...is that okay?" He inquired.

"I take no issue with it."

"Alright. I'm going to check your bathroom now." He gestured at the room in question, getting no response except that red stare. Assuming, and rightfully so, this meant "go ahead," he made his way towards it. Fortunately it wasn't any worse than the kitchen. Unfortunately it was about as bad.

More broken glass, blood in the sink and on the filthy towels, grime in the shower and cracked tiles on the floor. It looked worse than some of the pre-Impact ruins he'd set eyes upon.

 _How...can_ _ **he**_ _let her live like this!?_ Shinji's hand balled into a fist, one which actually shook for a while. Eventually calming himself down, he opened the bathroom cabinet to check what was in there.

Medication, bottles and syringes upon endless bottles and syringes resided before him. Now at that moment in his life, he would merely raise an eyebrow of confusion and slight unease at such a sight, for the young man knew little to nothing about medical science.

Especially when the labels were bizarrely enough in English.

But let it never be said he was stupid. For although he felt he didn't know much to begin with, he was sure this amount of medication for one person was unusual.

"You've got a lot of meds in here, Ayanami-san...why?" He called out.

"They are prescribed to me by the Commander. They are very important." Rei found herself, with no one else seeing, furrowing her sky blue eye brows when the word _why_ filtered through her head.

 _It is not my place to question._

After another half an hour of jostling around with various medication, managing to get them into a more ordered formation, doing his best to clear away the stains, Shinji came back out of the bathroom, looking concerned.

"Are you sure you really need that much? I mean...it can't be that serious, whatever you have?"

"It is the Commander's will."

"Why do you feel like that...that you always have to obey him?" He gently sat on the bed as well, keeping a cautious distance but not too great a one.

"He gave me life. I must obey without question. He is my progenitor." Her head tilted, the desire to disobey was unthinkable.

"Technically he was mine as well. You don't see me and him getting along so well though do you?" Shinji said sadly.

An awkward silence descended upon the two for a while, with Rei turning away, her expression darkening.

"Sorry." He quickly muttered in an attempt to salvage something from the situation.

"That is unnecessary. Although I disagree with you, I do not think less of you for it." Her words were true to her heart, but the albino's expression remained dark.

 _Perhaps that's enough for today...I've probably overstayed my welcome._

Standing up, Shinji sighed, nodding slightly.

"I'll leave you be. See you tomorrow then." He smiled, in both a sad yet genuine manner, and began to collect his things.

But something made him hesitate, before he would walk back through the kitchen and to the rusted door. Somehow...he felt her gaze pierce him, follow him. Turning back to face her, cerulean meeting ruby, Shinji found her eyes was **fixed** on him. Not murderous, or upset, like whenever anyone else directly focused on him to the exclusion of all else, but something else...something different.

Something he himself felt all too often.

Apprehension.  
 _  
She...doesn't want me to go?_

"Do you want me to stay for dinner?" He found himself smiling in a sweet way, as only someone of his soft nature could manage.

Rei looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, her quiet words, and the lighting up of her features, in so far as she could, proved to be something of a surprise for him.

"Yes, Ikari...I would like that."


	25. 6:2 Parade

_1:05pm, Tuesday the 11th of July, Sengokuhara high school, cantine_

Shinji hated his legs. They always did things he didn't want them to do, like run headlong into danger, or drag him kicking and screaming over to the albino that had reawakened long buried affection within him.

 _For Spirits' sake, she sits by herself because she enjoys the quiet, I'd just be annoying...but that doesn't sound anything like what she said at dinner yesterday._ His subconscious unhelpfully countered.

 _Shut up._ Shinji grumbled. Before him, eating a home made sandwich, was Rei, seemingly oblivious to the world at first glance.

 _Thank goodness she made that with clean cutlery_ he found himself fighting a shudder at the thought of filthy, sometimes **bloody** cutlery he'd seen the previous evening. Then, her head swivelled to face him, the boy knowing she could probably sense him coming.

"Ikari. Can I help you?" She asked.

"Oh...yes...um..." His brain locked for a few moments, as it **now** decided to engage panic mode and shatter into millions of pieces because he needed to say something. But she sat there, unmoving, yet certainly not uncaring. For the blue haired girl was a patient individual, not knowing of the human feelings called _anger_ or _hatred_.

"Do...do you mind if I sit with you?" He murmured. Granted, he felt more at ease than the previous evening when he'd actually enjoyed dinner with the ethereal girl, but now in public, face to face again, his confidence crumbled. He'd have to build it back up from step one.

"I take no issue with it, Ikari." Surprisingly, Rei slid over to make room for the boy who'd cooked her dinner last night. As Westerners put it, he treated her "like a Princess."

Gingerly sitting down on the table which they now shared, Shinji put himself at a close yet respectful distance. The pair were easily in arms reach of each other.

"So...are you enjoying that?" He referred to her lunch.

"It is adequate for sustenance." She took another bite out of her peanut spread sandwich.

 _Well at least she's put in a filling now..._

It had taken great effort to convince her to put something more than "butter" in a sandwich. Even then they were limited, as he'd discovered she was vegetarian. Something to do with " _the bond I have with every living creature."_

Starting on his own lunch, a ham sandwich, he gave a quick thought to why he'd never become vegetarian, considering his aversion to violence and blood. On the other hand with being an _Impact baby,_ someone born very close to Second Impact, it was expected. You didn't complain about where your food came from, as long as it went in your mouth. Clearly, she'd never known that...and perhaps as a clone, didn't need as much sustenance as ordinary humans did.

They ate in silence for a while before a sly chuckle caught Shinji's attention. Turning his head, he saw Kensuke make a beeline towards the table with a cheeky grin. At least until Toji grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him off to elsewhere, gaining a tired smile of gratitude from the mousey haired introvert.

Turning back to his meal, he realised Rei had long since finished her own lunch, and was sipping on a carton of milk. This was not something he often beheld, as the ethereal girl seemed to be someone who did things as efficiently as possible.

She was taking her time.

 _She...she can't be enjoying my company...can she?_

Whilst Shinji's brain crumpled upon impacting this solid wall of impossibility to him, she quietly dwelt on the occurrences of the previous evening, of how this strange human had come into her place of residence, made it a great deal tidier, and even cooked her dinner.

He'd brought something into that lonely hovel. Something we'd know as _warmth_.

* * *

 _5:00pm, Monday the 10th of July, NERV quarters, eastern sector._

It wasn't to his standard of quality, he mused, but it was adequate. Not whatever filthy ready made food Rei had put down her gullet countless times. He'd managed to throw something together in about fifteen minutes, with his strange colleague watching him in a manner that could be deemed as curious.

 _Has she never seen anyone cook before? Father...why have you kept her so alone?_

Spiced rice had been the best he could come up with, considering the shockingly low amount of provisions in Rei's cupboards. She might as well have been eating cardboard, which may have been a bette alternative to the various pastes and ready made stuff she had. Some of it being mouldy.

As there was no dinner table, the two teens ate on the bed. Swallowing his freshly chewed rice, Shinji felt a question form in his mind. One he'd wanted to ask for a while, but only now felt comfortable enough to ask.

"How old are you, Ayanami-san?"

She finished chewing her mouthful of rice, then looked at him with her blank expression.

"I-I-I know you're a clone and all, so you're probably younger than me. I was just wondering...by how much?" He stammered, staring into his shoes.

 _What the hell!? I have no right to ask that!_

Rei remained quiet for a while, pondering things in her usually silent head. She hadn't had to think this much before he'd come into her life.

"I have little memory of my birth. I recall the tank of LCL in which I was grown being emptied and the Commander standing before me, but no more. NERV logs put the date as that of-" Her blue eyebrows knitted together, making her surprisingly cute.

"-6th of June 2012."

True silence descended upon the room for a while.

"Put on another eleven years and that's my birthday..." Shinji's thoughts began to seriously dwell on the matter.

Why that date?

Of all the dates in the year, why did Gendo Ikari choose to create her on **his** birthday. His eleventh birthday. The seventh one in a row without family, cake, or balloons. Yet another reason why memories of the first four years of his life were so painful yet so precious.

 _Can't be a coincidence...Father made her to replace me. He replaced me..._ _ **he replaced me!**_

Unconsciously, his fist balled.

"I was not aware of this." Rei said, herself a little surprised. Feeling something akin to unease from the girl, as even he wasn't that socially inept, Shinji recognized his hand was doing something that could be seen as "threatening." Forcing it to uncurl, he fought back his anger and put on a smile.

"Oh it's alright. No problem at all. But yes, 6th of June 2001, that's when I popped into existence. I don't remember anything about my birth."

"That is probably for the best...the idea of remembering a natural birth sounds somewhat unpleasant. I hear it is a...traumatic experience for both parties involved." Rei turned her gaze back to the bowl on her lap, her pretty expression tightening in a microscopic manner.

"Yes...it doesn't sound nice." He agreed.

Not saying anything more for a while the two continued their average quality meal, chewing and swallowing the last remnants of it after five minutes. Upon finishing, she fiddled with her bowl for a bit, not taking her eyes off it, struggling to find the words she required.

"...Does it not bother you...what I am?"

"You mean...a clone?" Shinji said, his expression confused.

She nodded.

"No, of course not. Have I made you think that?"

"You have not, I assumed..." She trailed off for a few moments, then continued.

"Many would...look down on me for how I was born. I am unnatural after all." And now, in that quiet whisp of a voice, something new could be heard. It existed in only a microscopic amount, and it was something Rei herself didn't understand, but it was there.

Bitterness.

For the albino could hear other peoples thoughts. Owing to the unique properties of her creation, she had some degree of psychic power. Granted, she could focus on only one set of thoughts at a time, and that took no small of effort. Along with the fact she could only brush at the inner goings on of the human mind and never access things such as memory. She could see the ripples in the water, not what lay beneath.

It was power nonetheless. One which at times, Rei wished she didn't have. It made her think unpleasant things she couldn't hope to understand. Things that interfered with focusing on her true purpose.

All thought ill of her.

The Commander had made plain her place from the day she first drew breath, most of the staff in the know tended to think of her as "it" or "the clone," and the ordinary members of NERV tended to keep their distance from "the Commander's pet." Or on bad days, "the Commander's doll."

She wasn't human, she'd never been, nor would she ever be. She was merely the replicated flesh of a dead woman, made to serve the Commander's scenario. That was what she was. That was a fact, and there was no denying it.

 _So why do I feel anything when they call me that? My purpose is to serve, not think or feel._

"Well that's just silly. You couldn't have chosen how you were made. You aren't any less of a person for it." Shinji said flippantly, as if this should be obvious.

But for the unearthly child, it was not.

Rei **froze**. Blinking her red eyes in surprise, she stared at him, until a small smile cropped up on her lips. Not to the extent of the night when they'd defeated the 6th Seraph, but still visible.

Every time she'd looked into his thoughts, the words " _creature_ ", " _pet_ ", " _abomination_ ", " _thing_ ", and the like, had not once popped up. Always, he thought of her as a...person.

"I...appreciate your words, Ikari. Such things have never been said to me before..." She shifted in an uncomfortable but not at all unwelcome manner. As if the words were difficult to say, and the feeling was unknown, but she was happy to say them.

Realising he'd made something of a _breakthrough_ , Shinji gulped, then tried to raise her spirits.

"Well...surely not everyone's been horrible to you for that? What about Akagi-san? She...seems to care about you a little at least?"

Rei's eyes didn't leave her bowl.

"The Sub-Commander has always been...difficult. But until you came here she was the only person who ever showed me _kindness_ as you would say." She agreed.

The clone had never seriously though of such things until Ikari had arrived, and now she found herself reflecting on her connection with the faux blonde Japanese woman.

 _She does not think as highly of me as Ikari does...but there is no lack of care. She simply knows not what to think of me._

"It is a rather alien concept to me." The blue head said truthfully, her shoulders slumping a little. Like all sentient beings, Rei did yearn for connection and compassion with other human beings. Not that she was aware of such desires meaning.

Slowly, with little input from his brain, his heart deciding to act of its own accord, Shinji stretched his hand out, retreating yet continuing, and placed itself on her shoulder. The blue haired girl made no effort to remove it.

* * *

 _Back in the present..._

The sun shone through the corridor windows, its brightness illuminating the happy faces hurrying through. Shinji and Rei however, were not smiling, nor running.

They simply walked.

The sensation of awkwardness between the two was something Shinji felt could never be thrown off. But that feeling certainly wasn't unfriendly by any measure.

 _There was...something I wanted to ask her about...ah of course!_

The previous evening, upon returning to Misato's apartment, he'd learned General Motichka was arriving in Tokyo-3 **today**. Therefore in her honour, the Garrison was putting on a huge parade with thousands of blue coated soldiers due to march through the streets of the capital. Shinji had already decided he wanted to go. Some of his fondest memories were the Marines of the Japanese State Navy marching around in formation whenever there was a big naval review at Kure. He'd already talked to Kensuke and Toji, having a feeling they'd go, and wasn't disappointed.

However, he didn't want to leave Rei out. It was an opportunity to include her, and he got the sad impression this had never been done for her before. He felt...as if it were a purpose of his to take care of her. One which he would gladly comply with.

"Um, Ayanami-san? Can I ask you something?"

Her pace did not abate, but a pair of red eyes did train their gaze on him.

"Have you heard about the parade in the city centre today?" Shinji let his arms swing freely, his bag safely fastened over his shoulder.

"Yes. General Chiso Motichka's arrival is to be met with the due process. Your point?" Rei sounded unbothered.

"Well...you see I was talking with some of my other _friends-"_ a part of him still couldn't comprehend this "-and we all agreed that we'd go and watch it after school so I was wondering if you...if you..." His fist balled, annoyed at how he'd rushed his words.

Sighing, he regained control and continued.

"Do you want to tag along?"

Her gaze didn't leave him for a second, her own hands clutching the strap of her school bag.

 _I take no interest in this patriotism you and your classmates feel so strongly. But...your presence is...warm, Ikari._

"I have no pre-existing appointments." Her reply made his spirits soar. In Rei speak, that was a "yes."

"Alright, straight after school." He pushed the class door open and held it for her, as he was something of a gentleman when he wanted to be.

"Understood." Rei nodded, oblivious to this act of chivalry.

* * *

 _One hour and fifty five minutes later..._

Some students, himself and his colleague included, remained at the back of the class, not wanting to be caught up in the mad initial rush for the exit. They collected their things with precision, and when the room was empty, neatly made their way out of the door.

The route was simple, take the metro to city centre, specifically _Chrysanthemum_ station, roughly in the vicinity of the Imperial palace, then take a ten minute walk to the main high street. Owing to Japanese efficiency, the journey wouldn't take longer than twenty minutes.

Shinji wasn't as comfortable as he'd like, as whilst, as westerners would term it "his crew" were with him, there was also the terrifying class rep following up the rear, the brown haired and brown eyed boy he didn't know who sat at the back of the classroom, and that girl with short red hair who appeared to be giving him death stares.

"So, Shinji-san, have you ever been to army parades?" Toji boisterously enquired.

"Um, not army ones. I've seen a few naval reviews though. It's to be expected when you grow up in Kure." The meek boy answered.

"Wow, seeing all those ships must be pretty impressive..." Kensuke added dreamily.

"...Should I have brought you some tissues?" Toji raised a black eyebrow.

"No need, Suzuhara-san. He does have **socks** after all." A slight chuckle could be heard from Hikari, accompanied by the symphony of Kensuke's exclamations getting louder and louder, somehow drowning out the Jock's laughter.

Rei cast a glance at the sight but kept walking, whilst Shinji managed to crack a smile.

"Vulgar...utterly vulgar..." He found himself laughing a little. Unfortunately, he failed to notice a pair of crystal blue eyes narrow in **hatred**.

Without warning he was violently shoved aside, hitting the ground hard. The dark redheaded girl stormed ahead, her expression fixed into one of distress driven by anger.

Toji and Kensuke looked at the in times gone past chirpy girl with a degree of shock, Hikari looked incensed, the other boy didn't seem fussed and kept on walking, whilst Rei had immediately gone down on knee to check if there was any real harm done, with a look of... _concern_.

"What the hell!? Explain yourself, Kirishima-san!" Hikari barked.

No response, as "Kirishima" outpaced them and kept going, blinking away unseen tears.

"Fine, you're getting reported!" The class rep snarled, then turned to check on Shinji, her expression softening.

 _I know it still hurts, Mana-san, and I'm sorry. But I won't tolerate behaviour like this._

"Are you alright down there?" Her tone became lighter than the boy in question had ever heard before, whilst Toji's heart skipped a beat, as if he'd heard a choir of angels.

"Uhhh..." Came Shinji's predictable, yet entirely understandable answer.

"Well at least you're still conscious." Hikari muttered to herself, as she and the remaining students helped him to his feet.

Rei fished around in her uniform's pockets for a bit, producing a tissue, and, with no small amount of tenderness, started to wipe the bloody away from her comrade's nose.

"Student Kirishima takes issue with Ikari. **Why?** " A sudden, **hard** edge to Rei's voice popped into existence, terrifying Kensuke and Toji, making even Hikari's eyebrows go up in surprise.

The pigtailed girl scratched the back of her head and sighed, her expression grimacing.

"It's kind of nasty-"

"I am in no hurry." Rei's voice was one of ice.

Hikari's shoulders slumped.

"Where to begin...Kirishima-san's family served in the military, you know that right?" She gave a quick look at the _odd couple_ of her class.

"Yes. Wasn't it...air force or something?" Kensuke said.

"Correct. In specific her father was captain of an FCV..." She trailed off for a moment, noticing a pair of cerulean eyes slowly widen.

 _Oh Spirits...please no...not again..._

"It was the Tsushima wasn't it?" Toji said, resigned and sad, gaining a nod from the class rep.

Shinji was fortunate, as we would have fallen over again, or collapsed for want of a better word, had Rei not been there to catch him.

"Her...her father died because of me?"

"I'm not saying that, Ikari-san. Kirishima-san may think that, but I'm not saying it." Hikari said sadly, watching a few tears trickle out of his eyes as his form shook. They stayed there for a while, letting the child soldier attempt to deal with this new revelation.

 _I can't do anything without people getting hurt...can I?_

"Hey-" Toji gave him a slight shake, so as to gain his attention.

"We were **there** , Shinji-san. There really wasn't anything you could do..."

"Yeah, you still saved the world at the end of the day! That's not too bad for sixteen year old kid." Kensuke put on a winning smile, gaining nothing of the sort in response.

Only a sad sigh.

"Look...I get what you're trying to do, but-" Shinji would probably have gone off on a long ramble about how he wasn't worth it, before Hikari cut him off.

"Don't. Feeling bad about it isn't going to help. And no amount of your tears will ever bring him back. The same can be said for everyone we lose. The best we can do is keep on going, and make the best of what we have. Do you understand me?" The class rep's tone had returned to its usual discipline, but there was more than a hint of experience in her voice.

Taken aback by this, his subconscious agreeing, all Shinji could do was mumble "y-yes."

Hikari produced a satisfied nod.

"Good. Come on then, we shouldn't be too late." She turned around and carried on walking, practically commanding to be followed. And she was obeyed without question.

* * *

 _3:10pm, NERV Central, graveyard, beneath Tokyo-3._

For years, the mangled forms of the failures had resided here. Their purpose had been to be the weapons with which mankind would save itself, but they failed the moment they were created. Coated in armour never to be used, a dozen or so titans lay, dismembered, across the vast cavern, their bodies constantly being tested on to further enhance the Evas in service.

These were the first Evangelions, the failed prototypes, out of which only the totally out of date Unit 00 was even fit for combat.

In the cages far above, said Unit was getting a refit, otherwise it would be of absolutely no use in the coming battles. Strengthened armour, a prog knife, updated hud that linked directly into the eyes of the Pilot, as it was in all other functioning Eva Units, a brand new white and red paint job, and an extra compartment to house a pallet rifle.

They'd been so desperate to get it operational, for they had no other Eva available at the time, but now, with Units 02 and 03 merely days away, it had to be upgraded or scrapped.

 _It can only ever be used for fire support. Unit 00 could never take punishment like Unit 01._ Ritsuko mused as she studied her newest _present_.

The mummified, hard as rock remains of the 6th Seraph sat in front of her, the blast of the positron rifle leaving a straight cylinder of hollowness in its corpse.

 _Stupid thing...I just want to run some tests on you!_ The green eyed scientist grumbled, giving the "thing" a kick of annoyance.

"Um...Sub Commander?" Maya said nervously at her side. Ritsuko inwardly winced, having failed to notice her timid subordinate walk up behind her, being so wrapped up in thought.

"Sorry." She gave an apologetic look at the twenty-six year old. In the corner of her eye, Ritsuko could just make out the forms of the 4th and 5th Seraphim, having been about as useful to science as all the original _unlimited energy_ projects in the first years after Second Impact.

Before the breakthrough with A-T fields in early 2005. The brainchild of NERV research itself.

But this one was different. They'd managed to salvage a remnant of the Seraph's S2 core. Something they had **never** managed before. Granted, she'd have liked to test all aspects of the creature instead of its _heart_ or _brain,_ or maybe even both. But beggars couldn't be choosers.

"What is the damage to the core?" The faux blonde put a hand upon the giant diamond.

"Half of it was totally annihilated by the positron beam. The other half was relatively preserved, with any wound for liquid to leak out being singed closed." Maya responded with professionalism, having snapped out of her nervous, natural, state.

"How soon until we can begin testing?"

"Sub Commander...we're...sort of...waiting on you..."

"Hmm." The Sub-Commander withdrew her hand from the Seraph, turned around, then was guided over to an assortment of machines, with half a red orb lying on the front prongs of a forklift. White lab coated Section 4s, stood ready around the core, a drill poised to drive into it, and a flask ready to capture its fluid.

Arriving at the designated spot, Ritsuko fished out a cigarette, lit it, exhaled the smoke, and nodded.

"Begin."

With an electronic whirring, the drill drove straight into the core. The surface held for a few moments, then cracking and caved in, unleashing flood of thick royal blue blood, filling the container to overflow. It was unfortunate they had to destroy it, but as scans revealed, the S2 core was surprisingly brittle. They could not extract anything without cracking it, so Ritsuko gave the order to gain as much of the _liquid_ inside as possible.

With that complete, men in hazmat suits came forward and collected the container, sealing it shut.

"Get it cleaned, then analyse it." Ritsuko ordered sternly.

" _Hai_!"

* * *

Upon a cat walk high above, stood the Supreme Commander and the Vice Commander, watching events unfold.

"Such a competent individual...much stronger than her mother. A pity I could not use her to her maximum potential." Gendo said quietly, hands held behind his back.

"Perhaps." Kozo replied, his insides churning at the mere thought of what Ikari had once in mind for Naoko's daughter...

"How do you think we're doing?" The elder man changed topic.

"The scenario is proceeding as planned."

"I meant the war. Three of them are dead...do you think we can do the same for the rest?" His years of experience had taught him believing in ancient, mystical scrolls and faiths was all well and good, but it never helped when you needed it.

The fact his family had believed in the _Spirits_ , and yet were still claimed by Leukaemia, by Hiroshima's legacy, leaving him an only orphaned child, was conclusive proof to him there couldn't be such a thing as a god.

"We shall ultimately have seven active Evangelion Units. I believe we have something of a chance. One worth putting faith in." Gendo scarcely acknowledged his subordinate, his bespectacled gaze fixed on the freshly cleaned container being carried back to the various machines which would run numerous tests.

 _Although understanding the enemy is irrelevant to the scenario...it would be intriguing to have some comprehension of what they are._

"Section 2 have reported that Ayanami-san is spending a great deal of time with your son. Should any action be taken?" Kozo inquired.

"Rei knows where her loyalty lies. She will not stray because of one weak willed boy. Even if he is Yui's child."

* * *

Standing by the broken sphere, Ritsuko scratched her chin, thinking away to herself.

 _It looks almost_ _ **exactly**_ _the same as an Eva's core. Different fluid inside it but...almost exactly the same._

"How are things going?" A familiar voice caught the faux blonde by surprise, which was swiftly followed by a harrumph.

"Misato-chan...why are you here?" Ritsuko grumbled, being a little too engaged in tests to entertain the shenanigans of her old college friend.

"Aww, come on, Rits-chan. Just wanted to see how you were getting along." The purple headed Lieutenant Colonel pouted.

"I am absolutely fine, Misato-chan. Now don't you have a refit to oversee?"

"Well yeah, but they don't need me for all of that so-"

"In short, you're bored?"

"Yes..."

 _"Bored?_ _ **Bored?**_ _You have an actual body! You can touch and feel and have things to do, whilst I just sit here, being an electrical..._ _ **thing**_ _, making sure nothing explodes!"_ Caspar's voice boomed from above, causing the Lieutenant Colonel to chuckle, and Ritsuko to further lose the will to live.

"I am literally about to oversee one of the most important DNA samplings in history. Can I please do it **without distraction.** " Those last few words were spat out.

There was silence for a bit, whilst the test started reaching its final stages.

 _"I don't recall it being your time of the month yet, Sub Commander?"_

A few giggles and a practical scream of exasperation echoed across the vast cavern.

"Why did I ever turn it on...?" Gendo muttered to himself, whilst Kozo smiled.

After ten minutes of bleeping and blooping, the results finally came through. Ristuko walked over to her subordinates, as Misato chatted away to some of the Section 3 troopers, not getting much entertainment out of the thirty-one year old Sub Commander.

"Well, Lieutenant Ibuki, what have we got?" The faux blonde put a hand on the sat down and hunched over Section 4 member, who appeared to be completely engrossed by the monitor.

The young woman remained silent.

"Lieutenant?" Ritsuko said in a curious manner.

"Sub Commander...just look..."

Finally tiring of flirting with the Section 3 troopers, getting more than enough blushes out of them, the Lieutenant Colonel drifted over to the various _quacks_ crowded around a single monitor.

"Found anything useful? A weak spot?" She stood behind them, arms folded.

Ritsuko slowly turned towards her old room mate, an expression that looked like it had seen a ghost imprinted upon her beautiful face.

"We can actually see the structure of their DNA." She whispered.

"Yes...so?" Misato tilted her head.

"Misato-chan...although it's made up of materials we don't even have names for-" the faux blonde took a deep breath, still trying to believe this.

"-The structure of Seraphim DNA is almost **exactly** the same as our own."

* * *

 _3:20pm, Tokyo-3, Tokugawa square_

The sound of thousands of boots tramping in unison, hundreds of tanks rumbling forth, the massed bands hammering on their drums and blasting out their brass instruments, VTOLs screaming through the air, and the mighty rumble of five Susanoos, the entire 3rd Air fleet, should have drowned all noise out. But even _Battotai_ march being played in full force, could not overcome the cheers of the massed crowds standing by both sides of the road. White banners with a red disc at the centre, red rays spreading to all corners, flew everywhere.

Unending yells of "Nippon Banzai", or "Banzai" surged like waves, unbreakable and unstoppable.

The turn out was almost touching for the General. She who sat in her armour plated limousine, her folded hands resting on her lap, quietly looked out of the window, watching the world go by. This journey which was to take her to the heart of the city, where her presence would be accepted by His Majesty himself, was nothing short of a formality. Although for Motichka, with all this display of Japanese military might around her, it wasn't an unwanted formality.

She'd always been a soldier at heart, growing up in a military family did that. Her father had served in the old JSDF, her grandfather in the Imperial Japanese Army, whom had fought at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, and it was rumoured Samurai blood flowed through the Motichka line.

She'd participated in parades such as this, one of the proudest moments of her life being one. A Lieutenant of the Japanese Self Defence Force, holding the flag, marching in tandem with her comrades all the way back in 1998.

 _Seems like a lifetime ago._

It was in some ways. For all the world.

 _Spirits, it was only twenty-one years ago when me, Akira-kun, and Daiki-kun where screwing around as Cadets...I wish they were here with me..._

The other two heads of the Defence Board had remained in Fukoaka, to prevent power from being completely consolidated in one area. If disaster occurred at Tokyo-3, they could still govern the country. They'd complained about her leaving, Daiki even begging. For none of them trusted Gendo Ikari, all wanting the pretentious old swine dead. The three of them together were unassailable, as the poor souls of _Bloody April 14th_ had discovered.

Now they were split apart, with Japan's dictator feeling surprisingly...alone. Not that she was afraid, but the company of her old school mates was honestly missed. They were the only other people in the nation, aside from Ikari and the Emperor himself, who Motichka could see as equals.

Taking her mind off all that, the brown haired forty year old focused on her men, one of her prides and joys, marching in synchronisation with her car. They looked resplendent, dark blue tunic and cap, crystal white trousers, and black shoes being their dress uniform.

Chiso had always felt she'd made a good choice with those uniforms.

Beyond them, crowds of people continued to furiously wave their flags, some children sitting on their parents shoulders waving two of them, one in each hand, huge grins on their faces.

The Dictator smiled back.

Then, the it faded, when memory of three equally cheerful faces entered her mind. A kind man with red hair, a businessman from the former Republic of Korea, holding two giggling babies on each shoulder.

Her husband Yi-Gun and her two beautiful girls.

Sachi and Yuki Motichka, both having their mother's eyes.

Chiso been young when she'd had children, only being twenty-two years old at the time. But did she think she was too young for it now, or even mistaken?

No, never.

She wouldn't trade those memories for anything in the world.

They were born at the start of January, of the year 2000, months before the horror of Second Impact.

She'd been blessed with twins.

The man who was their father, her boyfriend, promptly proposed, to which she accepted. And thus he'd worked from home, managing his small business, whilst she'd continued to rise through the ranks of the army. The city in which they were to grow up, was Old Tokyo. The General's home, the sprawling former capital of Japan, one of the largest inhabited domestic areas in the world at the time.

Growing up in this city, the girls had seen their father more than their mother, due to work, deployment, and such, but they still loved her.

It was a life the General would give anything to get back to.

For, whilst she, a Captain at the time, was out on manoeuvres, on the 21st of September 2000 AD, Second Impact occurred.

The floods came in so fast, in a way no one could have predicted. The coastal cities were swamped in a matter of days, not to be dry again until the great damming initiative of 2008. The people trapped in those dreadful places had one bit of solace, the JSDF had to be mobilizing. The army would come to save them. But the national diet, the parliament chosen to protect the Japanese people, panicked. They dithered, they dallied and squabbled over the correct course of action, as did many of the old democracies at the time.

So, for a precious day, the army, the navy, and the air force stood around, awaiting orders. When the command was finally given, Chiso was among the first in, paddling a rubber dingy through the thousands of islands that were once homes, making straight for her own. Her men did not consider her selfish. They understood her pain, as they felt it themselves.

Chiso's small yet comfortable home was totally submerged, the only thing she was capable of doing, was hopelessly screaming as her men desperately had to pin her down, to prevent the young captain from diving into the water. Army divers arrived soon enough, continuing on their sweep of the area, managing to get in through one of the shattered ground floor windows. And in the attic, they found the bloated, drowned bodies of a young man clinging tightly to two nine month old girls.

That day had changed the life of the woman who would be Japan's dictator. The democracy she had so happily served, was now something she despised. Motichka, upon identifying the bodies of her family, closing Yi-Gun's eyes for the last time, had vowed to **crush** and **obliterate** the weak system which had allowed her loved ones to die.

In the following further floods and earthquakes, with the population plummeting, promotion within the JSDF had come quickly for the extremely competent young woman. One thing had led to another, her belief in the weakness of democracy gaining the support of the army, and in 2004 she found herself as head of the new "National Defence Board."

She furiously blinked away a single tear, a sign of weakness. A thing she had personally vowed to stamp out.

General Motichka had to focus on the here and now, to honour her husband and her beautiful babies who would never grow up. Who would never say their first words, never go to school, never make friends, never pass their exams, never find boyfriend's or perhaps families of their own. They and tens of millions of Japanese would never see the future.

"Driver." Chiso said in an authoritative tone.

"Yes, General Motichka?" He said crisply.

"Open the sun roof...it's time I presented myself..."

* * *

Shinji would never wave the flag, or run headlong into battle for his country if he could help it. But he would sing " _Kimigayo_ " with hand upon his meek heart, and a lump in his throat. He stood there, among all those thousands of people, watching the men march past in their disciplined formations and smart dark blue uniforms. Around him, a fair few of his classmates were joining in the chants of "Banzai" or cheering, Toji and Kensuke even punching their fists in the air.

Rei however did nothing else except watch everything go by, as if it were nothing more to her than shimmers in the pond. That did worry him, men in ordinary black suits and sunglasses were making their way through the crowd. A lack of trench coat telling all.

 _Ministry of the Interior. Probably making sure there isn't an assassin hiding with us. Crap, Ayanami-san, try and look a bit more patriotic!_ He flashed a quick glance of warning. She merely looked back, and remained as she was.

The men took one look at the albino, then clearly recognizing her, moved on.

The position Shinji and his classmates had chosen was a good one in his opinion, despite so many people being around him. At the other end of the street, well within sight, was the Imperial Palace. Considering what Motichka had to do before settling into Tokyo-3, the quiet young man was incredibly excited.

 _Actually seeing his Majesty...with my own eyes!_

Emperor Kanaye publicly appeared bizarrely often for an Emperor of Japan. You could actually count his televised state addresses with more than the fingers on one hand, made even stranger by the fact he'd barely ruled for twelve years. And it had only been for the past one or two he'd been mentally mature enough to even be involved with the role. Shinji had never seen the crippled fourteen year old in person before, despite his monarch being present for many of the naval reviews at Kure. Of course with General Motichka at his side...

Then, as if on cue, the words "Motichka Banzai!" rippled through the crowd, drawing his attention to the source of it. Standing out of the sun roof of her car, gloved hand raised in acknowledgement, resplendent in dark blue uniform, was the dictator of Japan. He didn't repeat the words many others did, but respectfully bowed his head.

Inspired by the presence of their leader, the massed bands of the Tokyo-3 garrison struck up a song that stirred the hearts of all. A song even Shinji and his classmates found themselves joining in.

 _"Japan our home of many isles. Surrounded by the crystal sea! Red rising sun, let your rays illuminate the entire blue sky!_

 _Cherry blossoms fall from heaven, for all who are brave enough! The soldiers of Japan know not retreat, for we would rather perish with honour! So forwards march as one!_

 _Our lives for our beloved Japan!"_

It was a chilling sensation, to join his voice with those of hundreds of thousands, but it made his spirits soar.

 _I am Japanese. I am a part of this. And I am proud of it._

 _"Spirits watch over our souls, as we march against your enemy! We see the flag flying ahead of us, in all its red rays of glory!_

 _Cherry blossoms fall from heaven, for all who are brave enough! The soldiers of Japan know not retreat, for we would rather perish with honour!_

 _So with our blood sweat and tears, the sun shall rise over our Japan!"_

In tandem with the General's car reaching the steps of the Imperial palace, the drums and brass instruments of the Japanese State Army fell quiet. And so did the crowd, for they knew what came next.

Forty Imperial Guardsmen in their laced with gold uniforms, caps having a white feather firmly inserted in their fronts, spilled out of the open palace doors, forming a corridor of dark blue from the car to the entrance. Coming a few moments after them, a smaller figure whose complexion was sickly pale. He hobbled forward in a coat tailed black suit, walking stick held in his gloved hand.

But his eyes, eyes that only Chiso and her escort could see, those green eyes that pierced any and all defences, spoke volumes about the young man.

Coming to within a few feet of the commander of his armies, Emperor Kanaye bowed slightly, causing the General, a person who both terrified and awed millions, to bow even lower.

This simple ceremony over, he straightened up and cast his gaze upon the many thousands gathered before him, producing a slight smile. The disabled teen, two years the Eva Pilot's junior, stood on those steps with a strength unique only to him. With his one hand not in use, he raised it in greeting to his army, and his people.

The result was both soldier and civilian screaming in unison, again and again, " **Tenno Heika Banzai**!"

Among all those many many fists punched into the air, was Shinji Ikari's. His voice, drowned out by those of his classmates alone, was filled with a passion that Rei had only heard once before. Not quite in the same manner, but the feeling of devotion was similar. That was the voice with which he'd called out to her on the night they'd faced the 6th Seraph.

It baffled the ethereal girl. How one could feel so strongly for an inanimate rock, and someone the individual hardly knew, was beyond her.

 _Patriotism is a philosophy of ignorant ancestor worship. One that drives humanity apart like no other idea in existence. You must free us of such things, Rei._

That was what the Commander had said to her, and she would obey to the best of her abilities. That was the purpose of her creation after all. But...her curiosity on the matter was overwhelming. Her pale hand found itself tugging on Shinji's shoulder, catching his attention.

"Hm? What is it Ayanami-san?" He said, totally invested with whatever she had to say. In a way the Commander never could.

"I am still not understanding of the situation. Why do you place so much faith and care into all this?" Her quiet question caused him to blink in thought, before sighing.

"I'm finished here. We'll talk about it on the way home. Is that alright?"

A nod of acceptance sealed the matter.

"Alright. Um, Class rep!" He called out to the "pig tailed dictator."

"Ikari-san, outside of school it's Horaki-san. What can I do for you?" She said in what could be deemed a _normal_ tone. Considering what he'd seen of her so far, it was surprisingly soft.

"Ayanami-san's ready to go home, and I've had enough. We'll see you tomorrow." He courteously bowed, which his class rep returned.

"Don't take any back alleys okay?" She added with a little harshness, full on implying that was an **order**.

"I promise."

Gaining two "see you later's" from Kensuke and Toji, the two Eva Pilots took one of the trains to the vicinity of the albino's run down home.

* * *

With the train carriage empty, and the journey being some fifteen minutes, Shinji felt there was plenty of time to talk.

"Sorry about hurrying you off like that. It's just...so many Ministry of the Interior agents around...didn't want them to think you were un-patriotic or something." His small smile turned into a chuckle when Rei innocently responded with "but technically I am."

"What is funny?" She tilted her head.

"You're honest and fearless. That...might not be such a good idea."

Making your true feelings known about the State had never been the smartest of things to do. If you were lucky, no one else would hear you. If you were unlucky, it was a week in a filthy cell. Along with a black eye and a broken nose.

He'd never been in one, and he never intended to.

"If they strike fear into you...then why do you owe them loyalty?" Rei pressed on regardless.

Her "brother" ran a hand through his hair.

"I...it's not that I like the government...actually I really kind of hate them sometimes but...it's the only one we have. I-I respect them and all, don't get me wrong, Motichka pulled us through some bad times. But they're too harsh, far too harsh..." He gulped a little bit, trying to put across his complicated feelings towards the "Defence Board."

"And besides, I care a lot more about Japan." He said firmly.

"Why?"

"Because it's my home. It's where I was born, it's where I was raised and it'll probably be where I die. Not to mention..." Shinji shook his head, as if thinking better of what he was going to say next. However, upon realising that a pair of red eyes where still fixed on him, an answer was coaxed forth.

"Alright. I don't think anything of myself. Hell, I don't really care all that much about myself to begin with...but with Japan and its people, my country and people, I'm part of something bigger, something better...more important than I could ever hope to be...I actually...belong somewhere..." His shrill voice became sad.

 _Go ahead, cry about how small and useless you are. Show her how pathetic you are._

"Sorry, that's a bit heavy for an afternoon conversation." He humourlessly chuckled to himself.

It was silent on the train for a while, until Rei opened her pale lips to speak again.

"I feel no connection with the landmass upon which I was created. Nor the people with whom I am meant to share a good deal of my DNA, or the individual who is meant to be my Monarch. I do not feel that bond like you do...but I understand. It must be very comforting to able to...belong somewhere..."

Shinji uselessly opened his mouth, trying to continue this conversation, but all that needed to be said had already been said. Some measure of understanding on the matter had been reached. No more words were spoken for the rest of the journey.


	26. 6:3 A peaceful test

_5:00am, Wednesday the 12th of July, NERV Central, synch room._

"Oh Spirits..." Shinji muttered, massaging his exhausted, sleep deprived, eyes.

He'd never enjoyed early starts, in fact he was vehemently against them. For his philosophy on the matter was "how can anyone do anything properly if they haven't had enough sleep?" This being further exasperated by him **never** sleeping well.

Unfortunately, it seemed his father did not have a similar idea. Although, in the boy's eyes, it was worth noting if soulless beings needed sleep...

"Don't worry, Shinji-kun, I hate the morning shift too. But think about it, the sooner we start the sooner it's over." Misato could easily stay awake at this early time, but that was only from years of experience. She'd actually dozed off on her first night shift. It had been very fortunate it was Ritsuko who found her like that and gently woke her up. Had it been anyone else who was high ranking, or Spirits forbid, **the Commander himself** , she'd be out of a job.

"Indeed. Now then, Ikari-san, you know what to do. Clear your mind and sit tight, focus on your connection." Ritsuko addressed him, holding a clip board in hand. She, Misato, and a few other staff member stood behind a glass window, overseeing four cylinders, marked 00, 01, 02, 03, with the last two having been recently installed. These were replicas of the "plugs" which served as the Pilot's cockpit, each one replicating the unique conditions of said plug's Eva.

Within two of these plugs, marked 00 and 01, sat Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami.

This was a way of determining the strength of the Pilot's bond with their Eva, in a vastly less dangerous way than actually putting them in their respective Units and activating. Demonstrated by Unit 00's _incident_ in the previous month.

 _"Ceasing all comms in ten seconds, Pilot Link test begins in 15, 14, 13..."_ Caspar's voice began to count down, in a surprisingly serious tone. Many staff assumed it was an automated voice, but the higher ups knew better. They weren't sure if the A.I had actually installed an automated voice or was just toying with them.

 _Why did we ever turn it on?_ Misato subconsciously chuckled.

Within Unit 01's plug, Shinji had closed his eyes, emptying it of everything save for the feeling of warmth and comfort that slowly engulfed him. It was strange how this thing which terrified him, was among the most comfortable places he'd ever been. If not **the** most.

It felt like being a child again, wrapped in a warm embrace only a mother could give. For the briefest moment, his mind went over what Rei must feel when connecting to her Eva, and whether or not it was similar to what he felt. That would have to be something he'd ask later.

The warmth came closer and closer, as if it where becoming part of him. A small part of his subconscious did worry about whether or not this "feeling" could overcome him. Override him.

But he didn't need to worry, for the sensation became symbiotic, as if himself and the feeling were alive and separate, yet one. It was something he both feared, and felt compelled to seek. He sat there, bubbles of LCL floating around him, as if this were his own bizarre little zen garden. In fact, he felt like falling asleep...

Then it stopped. The feeling vanished, as if it had never been there, Caspar's voice shredding his peace.

" _Synch test complete. Pilot comms re-established._ "

 _"Your Pilot Link is holding at sixty-seven percent, Ikari-san. Well done. Same goes for yours, Ayanami-san, fifty-eight percent."_ Ritsuko's much quieter voice echoed through the plug.

"Um, thank you, Sub Commander Akagi." Shinji said humbly, the mere thought of praise still being a little alien to him.

Ignoring this, the Sub Commander continued.

"We're going to have to keep you in there for a bit longer. We've got a few more tests to run..." She trailed off, scratching the back of her neck, taking a quick look at the "Pilot Link" readings.

 _Hmm, Ikari-san fluctuates quite a bit but gets a higher score. Ayanami-san keeps it average but steady, I wouldn't expect anything less from her_.

A chorus of " _ryokai_ " came over the video link, leaving the various Section 4 staff to work in silence for a while. That was, until, Unit 01's Pilot cleared his throat.

"What is it, Ikari-san?" Ritsuko said absent mindedly.

"Uh...could I ask you some questions? About the Evas?"

A hush fell upon that room for a moment, as this was some sensitive information. Highly classified. In fact there were some things the Sub Commander knew that hardly anyone else in the room did. And in some cases, no others than NERV's High Command itself.

The faux blonde sighed.

"Well, I can't promise to answer **all** of them, but you are cleared for quite a few things, as is everyone else present, so fire away. We've time to kill."

Shinji's tongue tied itself into knots, not having thought he would get this far.

"Alright...um...uh...what are the Evangelions? I hate to say it but...I'm not really buying the whole _war machine_ thing anymore..."

"That's partially classified unfortunately. The most I can say is, they are mechanical in nature. But keep going." Ritsuko dismissed.

 _But that doesn't mean there isn't anything organic, does it?_ Misato's subconscious harrumphed. She was combat operations director, Sub Commander of Section 3, one of the highest ranking people on sight, cleared to set eyes upon Subject Creatrix, but there were still **many** things she didn't know.

"Oh...sorry...what about A-T fields? What are they?" Shinji tried another question.

"Ah! There I can help you." Ritsuko said with a hint of enthusiasm.

"An A-T field is basically the barrier of one's soul. They are what keeps all living things as individuals in short. I have one, you have one, everyone has one. Thing is we haven't been aware of them until recently, and it was five years after their discovery that we began incorporating them into our technology with the S2 engines. We are literally using barriers of souls as unlimited power supply." She let that sink in, Shinji's expression of shock on the video link causing a few staff to chuckle or giggle.

"Naturally A-T fields are almost non-existent, undetectable. It's just through modern technology we can amplify them into an extremely potent forcefield. Nigh invincible in the case of the Evangelions...unless they are up against creatures that **wield** A-T fields as weapons..." The faux blonde trailed off, still not getting over how bizarre the Seraphim were in that respect. That they could bend the barriers of their own souls to their whim with ease, should have been impossible.

"So...the Eva amplifies my soul?" Shinji pressed on.

"That's quite a crude way of putting it...but not far off. As modern society is almost completely powered by them, you can tell we generate artificial ones. Your A-T field is amplified and it mixes with the Eva's A-T field, making a stronger one altogether." Ritsuko, having finished flicking through her notes, now had her complete attention focused on the young Pilot's questions.

"Okay, I think I get that. But still...how did you build these things? I mean...you must have done it in private. If you hadn't I'd be seeing _trademark Kotai Industries_ stamped everywhere." His words elicited a few laughs from the staff.

Kotai Industries, the megacorp with absolute monopoly on the production of Japan's arsenal. The contracts to everything, from bullets to battleships, were theirs. And they fiercely defended it.

"Oh you wouldn't believe how much they **hate** NERV for not contracting them with the Eva series. They even tried to make their own version to out compete us, the...Jet Alone was its name right?" Misato flashed her brown gaze to Ritsuko, as a sign for reassurance she was correct. A swift nod confirmed it.

"Yes, Jet Alone. Huge robot with an artificially generated A-T field. Never got off the ground, the Evangelion Units were considered superior in every single respect. For once the politicians thought the cost was worth it..." The purplehead trailed off, her mind grappling with just how much money went on these bizarre creations.

 _Could probably do a bit more than "retire for life surrounded by muscle bound men" with that kind of money._

"Well, we're almost finished, so if you've got anything else, now is the time." Ritsuko "hmm'd" in satisfaction when the results of _silent running_ were displayed.

 _Ikari-san at six percent, Ayanami-san at twenty percent. That's my girl._

It was quiet over the comms for a while, before he asked his last question.

"...you do have an eject system right? I keep looking around for a lever in here, I...I can't find anything."

"It's fully automated, there's not really any need for a lever." The faux blonde Sub-Commander said dismissively, as if it were irrelevant.

"...Wait...back up a moment...what do you mean, _no need for a lever_?"

"Don't worry! It's worked just fine so far. Your safety is our top priority, Ikari-san." Maya cut in, a tone more positive and sweet than most could muster.

 _Indeed,_ Rei murmured in concurrence from within her grey matter.

This cheerful tone however, had no effect on the pessimistic young man.

"There's always a first time for everything..."

* * *

 _11:59am, Tokyo-3, the Imperial Palace, His Majesty's office_

The Emperor's office was plain. There were plenty of windows for sunlight to trickle in, and a gorgeous view of a classic Japanese garden outside, but aside from that, the desk, cabinets, and flooring, were all incredibly simple.

To a subject of the British Emperor, this lack of pomp, grandeur, or luxury would have been astonishing. The sovereign of a nation should show his power. How else would others recognize it? But that was not the Japanese way. Refinement and humility had been the mindset long before Chiso was born. Whereas the other powers sought to display their grandeur in any way possible, her people looked to nature, to the beauty of imperfection, the blossoming of the cherry trees, and grace, and subtlety.

The British called them barbarians, whereas in her not so humble opinion, it was the other way around.

The Emperor of Japan, Kanaye Yamato, the last of his lineage, sat at his desk filing through various documents, walking stick resting against his seat. Upon the entry of General Motichka, the supreme commander of his armies and surrogate mother, he quickly raised his head, a warm smile on his pale lips.

Chiso walked in front of his desk, clicked her heels and bowed, gaining a nod in response.

"How is his Majesty on this fine day?" She said, her own smile forming. For the General enjoyed talking with the boy.

The Emperor leaned back in his chair and sighed.

" _His Majesty_ doesn't understand how you people's souls don't slip away when doing all this." He gestured at the vast amount of paperwork.

Chiso chuckled a little, then walked over to the windows.

"Surely his Majesty is aware that everything he signs has already been read through by trusted advisers?"

He tsked and rolled his eyes, before returning to work.

Kanaye was an individual who was involved with the government of Japan. He couldn't form any legislation or dictate policy, only the national diet and the Defence Board could do that. All the relevant files had already been approved for being made policy, all he had to do was sign. But that was not enough for the young man. Over the past few years, since he'd assumed the responsibilities of his title, he'd insisted on reading through everything. And if something disturbed him, he would speak to the general who was the real power in his country about the subject.

 _The Emperor in Britain has much more power than me, and yet he does not nearly as much. Lazy swine...being Emperor is hardly a part time job after all..._

"How goes the securing of the Imperial lineage?" She turned towards her monarch, an eyebrow raised in amusement at his glower.

"Chiso...I'm going to enjoy what remnant I have of a childhood before I even think about that. And besides that's private, despite even your best attempts to remove dignity from such things."

This of course was on the subject of the monumental cultural changes the General had brought about since accumulating power. As Japan's population was already in decline, even before Second Impact, a birth increase was needed. To achieve this, she'd ordered enhanced sex education in schools, smashing the ice on this awkward matter, slashing work shifts to eight hours a day, creating a national "dating", as the westerners put it, organization, and offering financial encouragement for couples to have babies.

In short, the Defence Board had created one of the most sexed generations in Japanese history. The result of which being the population soaring to sixty-five million by 2017. As one can imagine, for a culture as rigid as that, it was quite the change.

Her smile not disappearing, the General brought herself over to Kanaye's desk.

"Is this anything you want to talk about?"

Kanaye set down the paper's he held, and tapped his finger upon the wood beneath it.

"Not in that manner. But there is something. It's a matter of state. I...hadn't wanted to tell you because I know what your temper is like...but as I appreciate the whole _surrogate mother_ service you provided for me after Tokyo-2 was levelled-" He reached into one of the many draws in his desk, pulling out a sheet of paper marked with _Ministry of the Interior surveillance_. He handed it to the General.

"They managed to tap one of Gendo Ikari's phone conversations between him and his Vice Commander."

Chiso scanned through the text, her gaze fixing on one bit of dialogue near the bottom.

 _Fuyutsuki: Considering how close together the previous attacks have been...perhaps we should have the Emperor moved-_

 _Ikari: The life of the cripple is irrelevant. The Evas are all that matter. Focus your concentration, Fuyutsuki-sensei, this war will soon be over._

The sound of paper being crumpled into nothingness made Kanaye thankful there were copies of it.

" **Insolent old bastard! Who does he think he is!?"** Chiso snarled, tossing the paper aside. She paced around the room, as she always did when stressed.

"There is a slight point. I mean...if the Evas are destroyed that is the end of us all. If I die...well about sixty-five million people get a national holiday. And at the end of the day, I'm sure it's nothing personal-"

" **No, Kanaye!** You are the Emperor, by Amaterasu he should show his **sovereign** all the due respect and care you deserve. **I will have his hide for this!** "

"Chiso. Calm down." Kanaye switched to his "commanding voice" which, whilst it didn't have the cold hard authority of Gendo Ikari's, it was still thick with authority. The General immediately stopped pacing, breathing in deeply through her nose then exhaling through her mouth.

"I am sorry, your Majesty. I just can't **stand** that man as it is. Even more so because of his bloated sense of self importance and disregard for our country. And for you."

"It's alright. I know he annoys you, but he probably knows that. In fact he could actually be trying to provoke you, gain some sort of control over you. He's the sort of man who would try I think." The Emperor trailed off.

 _Power is everything to him. He'd even use his own son, his own flesh and blood, to further his ends. I don't care if NERV is saving the world, I just can't shake the feeling that whatever they're doing might not be in the best interest of the nation._

A part of him found his Imperial sense of paranoia to be amusing. That was to be expected, as when one, at the tender age of two years old, is pulled from the remnants of a nuclear blast, barely clinging to life, they may become untrusting. You could never know when the next bomb would land.

Chiso looked like she was pondering those words for a while, before shivering.

 _He does_ _ **not**_ _control me. I am_ _ **not**_ _like those_ _ **foolish Akagi whores**_ _!_

"A fair point, your Majesty. Nevertheless, I sincerely look forward to the day when he outlives his usefulness..."

A grim atmosphere hung over the office for a while, until Kanaye curled his hand around his walking stick and stood up.

"I believe it is time for lunch. Would you care to join me?"

All that anger vanished from Chiso's expression, herself producing a warm smile, one only a mother could be capable of. Straightening herself, she bowed her head.

"It would be my pleasure, your Majesty."

* * *

 _1:00pm, NERV quarters_

Having flopped on the sofa, dark rings under her brown eyes after an early start and a now finished shift, clothed in nothing but her usual yellow T-shirt and blue shorts, Misato Katsuragi leisurely sipped some ice cold beer, freshly retrieved from the fridge.

Shinji was currently sitting in the bath, most likely attempting to scrub off whatever was left of the LCL on his skin. Granted, he'd already had a shower back at NERV central, but when it came to the foul smelling orange liquid, there wasn't such thing as _overkill_.

Flicking through the channels on her smart TV, Misato marvelled at just how far technology had leaped forward since that day in Antarctica all those years ago...She winced upon thinking about that, her hand immediately tracing the area under her left breast, where a terrible scar from a terrible event resided.

Refocusing her mind back on the progress of technology over the past seventeen years, she still couldn't wrap her mind around the, for want of a word, "box" she'd watched low definition shows on during childhood, had evolved into these things which automatically linked to the internet and could download almost anything.

 _Technology. Mankind's true triumph over nature._

Man's brilliance was what had saved him from the Seraphim's wrath. How unfortunate that he turned it upon himself for six long years of bloodshed. She'd been nineteen years old when the Chinese invasion happened. Granted, it hadn't been so bad, a week of sharing a bunk with a man in a shelter had proven to be...very enjoyable.

But she would never forget seeing the news, of when the army retook Fukuyama. The charred, burned or mutilated bodies of one hundred thousand innocents slaughtered for the _crimes_ of their forebears, being shown for all to see. "Nanking's vengeance" was what the Communists had called it. To think the nice boy who sat in her bath, who washed and ironed her clothes, and made her dinners had **lived** through that as a toddler, was mind boggling.

 _Poor kid...to have survived that, then to get thrown into an even bigger war zone...shit, necessity is cruel._

Having found a channel she liked, Misato nestled herself into her pillows, gulping down some more beer.

 _Channel Ghibli_ as it was called, had been set up by the Defence Board some eleven years ago as part of their continuing program to promote Japan's "cultural greatness."

It did exactly what it said on the tin. The genius of Hayao Miyazaki, all day, every day. Considering _Nausica_ and _Mononoke_ were her childhood, the purplehead was very glad for its existence.

The sound of warking to her side caught Misato's attention.

"Hey, Pen, how are you doing?" She said with a tired smile as the Penguin clambered onto the sofa and buried himself into her stomach.

It was strange to think, how this stupid bird had somehow managed to yank her out of that state she was in, after surviving Second Impact. How when all the doctors had failed to even elicit a response from her, this thing, which had waddled into her "room" at the time without reason, managed to gain her fourteen year old attention with no small amount of warking.

The two had been inseparable since then.

Eventually, Shinji emerged from the bathroom, refreshed and revitalised, even though his hair was a mess. It was strange for Misato to see him like this, without that droopy fringe to cover his sad eyes. Clothed in a blue T-shirt and black trousers, instead of his usual attire of red shirt and blue jeans, he could have been mistaken for an ordinary, happy teenage boy.

But as anyone who knew anything about the children of Eva understood, this was not the case. Nor could it ever be.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" She asked.

"Yes...I could never use hot water like that back in Kure..." He chuckled, remembering how had to monitor his energy bill and whether or not any of the taps would start falling off.

Turning his gaze to the screen, his expression became puzzled and curious.

"Is...is that a Ghibli movie?"

"Yes." Misato nodded.

"I've never seen one before."

"You've never seen one before? Didn't you watch them on television or anything?" She trailed off, seeing the face of her charge tighten.

"I never had a television. Teacher didn't think much of them."

 _Those things melt your brains. Besides, work is far more important than whatever nonsense people of your age watch..._

"Oh...well then!" Misato's tone lightened up as she swung her legs off the sofa, causing Pen-pen to flail around in surprise, and patted the cushion beside her, beckoning Shinji over.

"Everyone's got to begin somewhere. Come on, one's just starting." Her smile broadened when her charge awkwardly yet certainly sat next to her. Teacher had only ever sat next to him for work, and even then there was some distance. But now, being in so close a proximity to another human being, Shinji was beginning to wonder what he'd been afraid of.

This was...pleasant, even with his carer's running commentary throughout the movie really destroying any and all immersion, along with Pen-pen's constant beer breaks.

But he didn't care. For this strange woman was endearing herself to him ever more.

The film was quite good. The plot wasn't anything spectacular, but it was simple, easy to follow, and quite solid over all. The characters were decent, and the animation was stunning, absolutely stunning, instilling in him a wish to draw like that. But of course he couldn't. He couldn't make beautiful things after all.

Granted, some parts of it had been a little strange, like the eponymously named "moving castle" walking around some European-esque land, with its inhabitant that kept turning into a bird for some reason, but ultimately he found enjoyed it. A part of him resolved to watch television more often. Who knew what else was on?

"Shinji-kun?" Misato's voice broke him out of his moment of self reflection, his "hmm, what?" causing her to quietly laughed.

"Sorry to ruin your zoning out session, but I've got some news for you. In a few days, the German High Seas fleet and the Imperial 5th fleet will rendezvous with our Pacific fleet and arrive at Togo harbour. They're carrying Units 02 and 03, along with their Pilots."

Shinji gulped.

 _I've only just got used to a few people_ _ **here**_ _, and now some foreigners...not that I don't appreciate the help mind you..._

"However, whilst they're still sailing in, we're flying out to greet them."

"We?" He said, shocked.

"Yes, you and me. And some friends if you want."

Shinji couldn't find any word for this. He'd never liked moving around to begin with, and now he was being hauled off to meet yet more people he didn't know.

 _Just my luck._

Misato sighed, then put her hand on his shoulder.

"You've got to meet them sooner or later. And besides, a change of scenery would do you good." She gave it a squeeze before standing up. Fortunately, Pen-pen had rolled off her lap by now.

"Right, as it's lunch time, I think it's my turn to cook for a change."

"No no no no no, it's fine, really, Misato-san! I can do it myself!" He put on a winning grin, gaining a touched smile from the purplehead.

"Oh you're so sweet. But what sort of host would I be if I didn't cook at all?" Her tone remained innocent, but her smile became a grin of unimaginable depravity.

As many horrendous things were shoved in the microwave, what Misato called "curry surprise," Shinji and Pen-pen slowly locked gazes with one another. Despite those beady black eyes being small, the general gist of the Penguin's thoughts on the matter where quite plain for the meek young man.

 _Spirits go with you human. But you're on your own._

With that, the erect crested penguin scrambled away back to his home in the fridge. Leaving the boy to his fate, a look of utter despair in his cerulean eyes.

* * *

 _11:00pm, Philippine sea, SMS Seydlitz of the Kaiserliche Marine._

It was cold at sea.

Not that she was unused to the feeling of cold, as the Reich was one of the few places in the world that actually got snow these days, but even then she found it chilly. This got on her nerves, as due to the cold she'd become pale, which showed off her freckles to the world. An aspect of her features she was embarrassed by.

Not that Countess Asuka Von Zeppelin Soryu, Hauptmann of the German Luftwaffe, would ever let anyone know that.

Her hands rested on the safety rail, sea winds ruffling her great golden red mane of hair and yellow sun dress, as she watched the waves beneath her. The only sources of light, were those of moon, stars, and the freshly lit cigarette to her side.

"That better be an E-cigarette." Her eyes narrowed, the offender laughing.

"Oh of course _herr commandant_ , I wouldn't dream of anything else." Ryoji Kaji, her NERV handler, said with a slight smile, exhaling some of the foul smelling stuff.

Whilst Kaiser Rudolf Von Hohenzollern was technically Asuka's legal guardian, the "dummkopf" who stood to her left had been the redhead's caretaker for the past three years, where her training had intensified. In preparation for the war in which through luck alone an individual known to her as "stupid Shinji," or "Third Child," had stolen her thunder. Something to be rectified.

"And don't you forget it." She shot a look in Ryoji's direction, eliciting a mock whimper.

It had taken many years of bullying, threats, and coercion to get the brown haired, pony tailed Japanese man to give up those verdammt death sticks, but eventually her stubbornness had won through. All crumbled before the will of the great Asuka Zeppelin Soryu.

"Can't believe I've already missed three Seraphim. Are there going to be any left by the time I get there?" She mused to herself.

"Don't worry, Asuka-chan. You'll get to prove yourself, I have no doubt about it." Ryoji rested his own arms on the safety rail, having tossed his used up E-cigarette into the sea.

Sailing alongside them, were the vessels of the combined fleet, German "Brandenburg" class frigates streaking ahead of the main formation, with Imperial "Indefatigable" class Battlecruisers following up their rear. Straight ahead of the Seydlitz, two Pruessen class Heavy cruisers steamed forward, tow cables attached to the mighty "Friedrich" class carrier, occasional flashes of orange lightening at their prows indicating the buffeting of their A-T fields against the power of the sea.

It was an irritating fact Evangelions messed with S2 engines via their presence. It was why they couldn't be flown over here, as an FCV would fall out of the sky in an attempt to carry an Eva. So it had been the long way to Japan she'd took, much to the young Countess's frustration.

"So, looking forward to getting home?" Asuka decided to take her mind off the matter through engaging her _big brother figure_ in conversation.

"Hmm?"

" **Are you looking forward to getting home** you deaf dummkopf?"

He smiled slightly at the annoyance evident in the girl's voice.

"A little. A lot's changed since I was last here..."

"Jah. It's been ten years hasn't it?" Asuka pressed, gaining a slight nod from the United Nations Intelligence Service agent.

"It's actually more like twelve years." He said quietly, reflecting on something unpleasant.

Being someone who'd grown up in the court of the Kaiser, Asuka was capable of manoeuvring herself through conversation, therefore being able to tell from a mile away this was something her companion did not want to talk about. Not out of anything personal of course.

Ryoji was an attractive man of thirty-two years, with some brown stubble around his chin. His eyes matched the colour of his hair, and although she'd always thought the colour brown was boring, it worked for him. It was thus understandable she'd harboured a crush on him in her early teenage years, one that lasted to this day. Granted, she was now old enough to understand how that wouldn't work, but Asuka still couldn't help but find him _gorgeous_.

How unfortunate she was not older, and his heart had already been claimed.

"Quiet as a bloody grave up here. Has someone died and should I know about it?" A new voice, shrill and aristocratic, spoke in the High Imperial tongue. Although the German's gaze remained fixed forward, a small smile did grow on her lips.

"Well well, Meadow-san, deigned fit to join us have you?" Ryoji raised an eyebrow at the sixteen year old blonde boy who had entered the scene, resplendent in his navy blue officer's uniform.

"The correct term is _gracing you with my presence,_ Ryoji _._ " Major Samuel Alexander Meadow of the Imperial Britannic Army, flashed a smile only an Imperial aristocrat could produce, before turning his eyes upon Asuka.

"You must be freezing in that. Do I need to get you a coat?"

Her own gaze turned upon him, her eyes having narrowed in displeasure.

 _I thought not_ He laughed at such a display of stubbornness.

The agent leaned back from the rails, clicking his shoulders into place.

"I'm hungry. I'll give you some time alone with your boyfriend." His grin broadened when both the Pilots faces turned red.

"Insolent...bloody...barbarian...swine..." The Imperial grumbled, whilst Asuka unleashed a tsunami of obscenities in her native language. The only response they got was a humoured wave of the hand, as the Japanese man disappeared into the bowels of the Seydlitz.

The two were alone in the moonlight.

"You really should discipline your servant." Samuel said with a shake of his head.

"Oh he knows his place." Asuka put on a smile, one that beckoned him over.

"Right..." He brought himself next to her and looked out over the sea, hands held behind his back. His complexion was quite handsome, his uncontrollable blonde hair and electric blue eyes contrasting and complementing each other nicely. And in that uniform, navy blue tunic, khaki trousers, knee high black boots and golden epaulettes, she imagining he'd gain the attention of many girls in Japan.

Due to the clear sky it looked like the sea itself was sparkling, with a million lights dancing across its waves.

"How do you do it? It's bloody chilly out here." Samuel stamped one of his feet in an attempt to keep warm. And he was in uniform, Asuka was in nothing but a yellow dress, red shoes, and a choker clasped around her neck. She chuckled at him.

"A beautiful night." He craned his neck up at the sky, appreciating the vastness of space.

"Yeah."

After a while, Samuel's face became contemplative, and a little sad, his mouth opening and closing uselessly, catching the redhead's attention.

"You want to talk about Buenos Airez, don't you?" Her usually hard expression softened when he nervously nodded.

"Bad dreams?"

He nodded again.

Releasing the rails and pulling her best friend of the past six years into her arms, Asuka felt him choke back a sob, forcing it down with all his might. His arms snaked around her as well.

"That rebellion had to be put down, for the Empire, but...did it have to be like that?" Images of a city on fire and the death screams of seventy thousand people quickly flashed through his young mind, making fighting his weakness even more difficult.

"I don't know. There isn't anything to be done about it now though." She said truthfully. Eventually his shaking stopped, and they were able to release one another. Taking a step back, Asuka leant on the safety rails again, and Samuel's hands returned to behind his back. His old composure regained, he muttered a quick and quiet "thank you" before clearing his throat.

"Well then, what do you think about this _Shinji_?"

"What about him?" She grumbled.

"He sounds somewhat capable for a barbarian..." The Imperial pilot was saying, until the redhead wagged her finger at him.

"Beginners luck that's all. We'll show him how **real** Eva Pilot Elites do it." She leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze of the sea, no matter how cold it made her feel.

"Indeed. Although that will very much be my job as I'll be winning this war single handedly." Samuel's sly grin increased as Asuka's eyes snapped open and shot him a playful yet murderous stare.

"No no no, I'm getting the most kills, Sam. I'll leave some for you, but the rest are mine. Besides, I **am** the best Eva pilot after all." She placed a hand on her chest, utter confidence in what she was saying.

Samuel shrugged.

"Perhaps. But lets face it Asuka, Unit 03 is superior to Unit 02, that's just an indisputable fact-"

" **Halt die Klappe**!"


	27. 7:1 Greetings

" _Aou azv di ysa Loar, meit aal zha skhis aou zmaal, skhylinig di Taylan ghaen dif zha Keon's satfjeo."_

" _And thus the Sea Lord, with all his ships and might, devoured the Taylan whole by his Sovereign's command."_

 **Liad di Ysa Loar.**

 **Extract from a tale called "Ballad of the Sea Lord," found in the Norwegian ruins, April 21st 2017AD**

* * *

 _10:00am, Saturday the 15th of July, State of Japan airspace, Kaze VTOL number KI 7846, just clearing the coast_

The forty metre long machine, whose kind had superseded the old attack helicopters and jet fighters, was surprisingly spacious inside. Shinji had expected it to be cramped to high heaven, with machinery, the cockpit, ammunition, and fuel tanks taking up most of the room. But, as "usual", he was wrong.

Misato sat near the front with the JSAF Pilots, whilst in the cargo hold, the mousey haired boy had his earphones firmly lodged on his ears, so as to drown out the noise of the engines, and that of the people he just **had** to bring along. In the other corner, Kensuke was continuing with his thirty minute long lecture on how the VTOL worked, where it was built, the lead up to its invention, etcetera, with Toji sitting next to him, barely holding onto to both patience and consciousness, occasionally flashing a look of "help me" at Shinji.

Unfortunately, the boy who'd saved the world three times in a row, was in no position to do such a thing, as he was too busy turning paler than his other companion, due to his recently discovered terror of flying.

Rei wasn't bothered by any of it. She sat on one of the seats that would have been used by Japanese soldiers as they were dropped off at the battle of Osaka, a book in her hand, a pair of broken glasses on her nose. Granted, it disturbed Shinji to see **those** glasses on an individual he cared for, but the fact she was reading these days was something he considered a triumph on his part. It was all to do with an assignment they'd been given on maths, a subject loathed and reviled by those who had a concept of fun, and he'd been muttering away to himself about imminent failure, whilst complementing her intelligence at the same time.

But then, the blue haired albino brought up not knowing much about maths. And so he'd told her to read a book on the subject. The one she'd procured, a gargantuan one, had a small section relevant to what they were doing...and Rei hadn't stopped there. Never before in her life had she read any literature. Now, she was three quarters of the way through, having started at the beginning and worked her way to the near end.

Despite feeling ill, he couldn't help but smile.

 _I don't think you'll ever run out of things to surprise me with, Ayanami-san. At least you're doing more than "standing around" in your spare time these days._

"This thing **must** have been at Osaka. It's the right model and its even got scratches from Chinese bullets! This is a real piece of history..." Kensuke nerded out whilst Toji kept saying "yeah" and "oh really?" Finding himself humoured by that, even provoking a quiet chuckle, Shinji dwelt on the "Second and Forth Children."

Misato had filled him and Rei in on this "Asuka", having been a carer for her some years before. Something to do with, "red hair, freckles, more angry than an agitated Seraph...actually you'll probably know her when you see her...", not to mention she nobility back in the Reich. A Countess apparently. As for the other...he was Imperial. A Major in the British Army, of about his age. Shinji knew nothing about this "Samuel" apart from him being, according to Misato, "blonde, blue eyed, and probably someone you should stay away from."

Not all that reassuring.

The time went by agonizingly slowly, his hands shaking due to his rising feeling of nausea. This was a horrible idea, a truly and utterly horrible idea, as it seemed likely he may unleash a tsunami of vomit upon "His Majesty's" equipment at any moment.

"You do not look well, Ikari." Rei stated.

"Oh I'm fine, don't worry." Shinji tried to force a smile, one that was not helped by his shaking, nor convincing.

"I can requisition a helmet. It may serve as something adequate for you to regurgitate into."

Even she could tell, socially stunted as she was. For Rei was sure normal human skin was not meant to be paler than her own.

The sound of feet upon metal caught the passengers attention, as Misato appeared. Today she was clothed in that black dress and red jacket she'd picked Shinji up with all those weeks ago. Cross firmly tied around her neck.

"We'll be landing soon, so strap yourselves in." She gave a quick look of concern at Shinji, gaining a "he appears to be air sick, Lieutenant Colonel" from Rei.

"Alright, hang on, Shinji-kun, you'll be out of this thing soon enough." The purplehead smiled, gaining a meek thumbs up in understanding from her charge.

After no small amount of rumbling, the aircraft decelerated and angled its thrusters into a landing, the jolt and loud clunk signifying his nightmare was over. The ramp from which blue coated soldiers would usually have issued forth slowly opened, the children unclasping their seat belts and taking their first steps onboard the SMS Seydlitz, the flagship of the Kaiser's High Sea Fleet.

Well "steps" as in, Rei closed up her book, put her glasses back in her case, and calmly made her way down the ramp, Toji enjoyed the breeze in his face, Kensuke thundered outside, camera in hand, to film the various aircraft, including the Messerschmit Meer Wulfs, with Shinji miraculously outstripping him, and unleashing about thirty minutes worth of air sickness upon the Friedrich class Super Carrier's deck.

* * *

On the bridge, two individuals looked down on the display, with some slight humour and a small amount of disappointment.

"I think the pale one is the First child, her appearance matches the records. Not sure who the Third is though..." Samuel trailed off, clearly not thinking much of who his Japanese "colleague" would be.

"Probably the big one." Asuka commented, hands on her hips.

"I don't know, what about the one with glasses? He looks enthusiastic enough."

"Maybe...what about the other..." The red head was saying, before both of them took one look at the boy hunched over and vomiting up his breakfast, and in unison said "no."

* * *

Back on deck, Misato had finally left the craft, beret fixed on her head. Quickly, she walked over to a group of men whom had been waiting for her. Some were in German navy officer uniform, the one at the centre of them clearly being an Admiral. The others wore distinctive navy blue tunics, with royal blue cuffs, clearly designating them as sailors of the Empire.

The German Admiral was someone the purple head knew from the dark brown handlebar moustache and goatee on his face. Grand Admiral Franz Scheer observed the incoming Lieutenant Colonel, he and his men raising their hands in a crisp salute, to which she returned.

"Grand Admiral Scheer." Misato said with utmost respect. After all, this man was the reason the Reich actually had some remnant of a navy to rebuild after Dogger bank.

"Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi." Franz responded with all due decorum, his green eyes appraising the most unmilitary manner in which the NERV officer was dressed. Still, who was he to deny a pretty woman wearing skin tight clothing?

Lowering her arm, the purplehead then saluted the Imperial congregation.

"Sea Marshal Stewart."

She received slight nods from the sandy haired Marshal in his royal blue cape and the rest of his staff, as they would never salute a member of "glorified private security."

 _This supposed "soldier" dresses in a most improper manner. By God we'll have our work cut out civilising_ _ **you lot**_ _when this war is done._ One of the Marshal's aides thought to himself, as that fashion sense would be considered outrageous back in the homeland, especially for a soldier. Ball gowns and maybe some party dresses were considered the most "risqué" thing a woman could wear to begin with, but this? This was indecent.

"Lieutenant Colonel, shall I go and call the Countess as you have arrived?" Franz cut into the icy atmosphere with typical German bluntness, in somewhat broken Japanese.

"I would appreciate that Grand Admiral. Your Japanese needs a little work with all due respect, but I really appreciate the thought." Misato sympathetically smiled as very good German flowed from her lips, causing Franz to make a few noises of discomfort whilst scratching the back of his head in awkwardness.

"Multilingual? I presume you have a basic understanding of High Imperial then?" Dominic Stewart, Sea Marshal of the Imperial Britannic 5th fleet, folded his arms.

"Yes Admiral...I know how to speak **English** very well." Her cheeky grin grew as the Imperial's eyes narrowed and a variety of disgruntled sounds escaped his and his men's mouths.

"If you could grab Pilot Meadow for me then, I'll just be waiting with the others under my charge down there." She nodded towards the small group of teenagers towards the front of the carrier, the bespectacled one now being shooed away by some burly German marines, another one wiping vomit away from his lips, and the other two having knelt down to his height to make sure he was alright.

"Major Meadow is on the bridge with Countess Soryu, we shall fetch him." Dominic nodded at one of his aides, who hurried off, followed by a German Captain.

"Thank you very much for your time, Admiral, and Marshal." Misato saluted again, then walked off to her charges, a look of concern on her face specifically concerning Shinji.

"Does it not bother you to be commanded by such a wench?" Dominic growled a little, gaining a chuckle from Franz.

"What is it German?"

"For the survival of my fatherland, I am happy to put my pride aside. That is why the Reich shall stand triumphant, and the Empire may yet be condemned to history." Franz had to stop himself from flat out laughing when the Imperial's cheeks became red with rage.

"Take care with what you say, **barbarian**." The Imperial Sea Marshal of the 5th fleet snarled at his counterpart then stormed off.

* * *

"Ughhh." Shinji was still shaking, but his strength was slowly returning to him. A pair of red eyes, alive with concern watched over him, in a similar manner to how a pair of blue eyes had once looked upon him whenever he was ill in his youth.

"Is he alright?" Misato asked, concerned humour in her tone.

"It would seem that Ikari does not take to air travel." Rei stated, gently helping a now non-vomiting Shinji to his feet. It seemed the nausea had passed.

"Can I take the boat back..."

"It's a longer journey." The purplehead said, her tone inquisitive as to whether or not this was what he really wanted.

"I can wait, Misato-san."

"Good to see that sense of humour you've developed is still with us."

Shinji made a grunt of acknowledgement on the matter before removing his hand from his stomach.

"Shinj-san gets back up from anything, don't you buddy?" Slapped him heartily on the back.

"I suppose so..." The mousey haired boy trailed off, realising he was being watched. Standing a few feet from him, was a girl in a yellow sun dress with long golden red hair, looking completely out of place among all the stiff and much taller German sailors. Yet she somehow towered over every individual present.

Shinji had a good idea as to who this was, with the words _you'll know her when you see her_ , ringing through his head.

"Oh, I see you got my message." Misato's tone was cheerful upon noticing the new comer, as if encountering an old friend after many years.

"Well, how on Erde can I refuse anyone requesting **my** presence?" The redhead said smugly, placing a hand on her chest to signify her importance. And as those sapphire eyes of hers fixed on him, as if sizing up a meal, Shinji all of a sudden felt **afraid**.

"Allow me to introduce you all. This is the designated Pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, Captain of the German air force, and Countess of the Reich, the Second Child-" Misato listed, as his gaze remained fixed on this freckled girl, hands held on hips, hair illustriously blowing in the sea breeze.

"-Asuka Zeppelin Soryu."

* * *

Deep within the depths, shielded from any and all detection by the waves and means unknown to science, a strange life form swam. Some would compare it to a whale, except larger and more alien, as demonstrated by an earlier passing of a pod of Sperm Whales. It was strange then, that the creature had simply observed them, as if fascinated by the various water born animals it had come across. For the Divine Heir was something of an enthusiast for marine life.

 _ **Target is nearing attack zone.**_ Gaghiel rumbled.

 _ **Excellent. A terrible blow shall be struck against the enemy today.**_ Haniel's voice, separated by dimensions, filtered back to the Sovereign's mightiest Admiral. In light of all their previous defeats, the Fist had established a mental connection of sorts with the Heir, so as to coordinate, and in the worst case scenario, learn just how the foe was emerging triumphant.

Gaghiel remained silent, as he steadily shadowed the fleets, occasionally casting a glance at the black cylinder with a small red star on its side, that had been doing the same as him. Owing to the fact they were being very quiet, the Heir assumed they did not want to be found either.

 **How much do the Vooren distrust one another?**

He cleared his mind of such things, thinking only of the upcoming shallow waters within which he could corral the ships above into a tightly packed formation. Then strike.

The Vooren line of supply would be cut, their reinforcements sunk. Then he would retreat, and allow Israfel and Isrefael to finish the job.

Victory was at hand. His siblings, and the honour of their people would be avenged. Ejrod would be theirs again.


	28. 7:2 The fleet

_10:15am, State of Japan oceanic territory, combined GAAFT task force, SMS Seydlitz, flagship of the Kaiserliche marine's High Seas Fleet, flight deck._

"So-" In perfect Japanese, Asuka paced up to them in a manner that could be deemed "unstoppable."

"Which one of you is the _legendary Third Child_?" Her eyes appraised every single one of them, ruling out the sandy haired geek, who was now gawking at her instead of Meer Wulfs, ignoring the wimpy and weak looking one, instead focusing on the jock.

"Nicely built..."

Misato chuckled, expecting this mistake, then put a hand on Shinji's shoulder and pushed him to the front, much to his displeasure.

" **This** is the Third Child. Asuka, meet Shinji Ikari."

The German's nose instantly rose in disappointment, before she zeroed in to a few inches away from his own face, as if closely analysing a cockroach under a microscope.

" **Him**? He's hardly much to look at...I mean...Gott, Misato I've seen puppies look more intimidating than this." Asuka's voice and manner caused him to recoil in fear.

The red head was three inches shorter than him, but her aura of power and confidence, coupled with his nervous nature, caused Shinji, a boy who'd fought demi-gods face to face, to feel smaller than usual.

"Well at least he's **fought** Seraphim, girly, I didn't see you save the world three times in a row." Toji narrowed his eyebrows and folded his arms, directly challenging her. Before she could respond, Rei had manoeuvred herself to Shinji's side.

"I believe you are invading Ikari's personal space. I request that you stop." She firmly whispered.

"The First? Is she your girlfriend?" The redhead shot a disdainful look at the now blushing Shinji who made many a noise of horror and disgust on the matter. The albino looked ponderous for a moment.

"I do not know why many believe that. I would rather they did not."

Asuka eventually took a few steps back, looking over every inch of her new "work colleague" and shook her head.

"Absolute wimp, and needs a girl to fight his battles for him. So much for the invincible Third Child..." Her tone stung him to his core.

 _Of course I'm pathetic. It's just that she's brave enough to say it..._

"Third Child? Oh bloody hell..." A new voice, shrill and aristocratic, invaded the conversation, catching Shinji's attention.

Samuel Alexander Meadow was how the meek Japanese boy wished he looked. Tall, wavy blonde hair, blue eyed, and a body that could only have been honed by Imperial military training. In that Imperial officer's uniform, even Misato had to admit he was a handsome young man. The epitome of the Empire's noble class.

"Samuel Meadow I presume?" The purplehead folded her arms, having switched back to English.

"It's Major Meadow to you." His gaze hardened for a few moments, making Shinji even more afraid.

 _Barbarian_ the thought rumbled in Samuel's head, but he didn't say it. After all, one had to make a good impression on behalf of His Imperial Britannic Majesty Charles Sebastian Vance, and the Empire he so "nobly" governed.

"So this is actually him?" He directed at Asuka, gaining a lacklustre nod.

"Good god, since when did they let kittens into the army?" He strode forward, not getting as close as she had, but he still scarcely a metre away from Shinji. Well out of his personal space fortunately.

"Well then, what's your rank?" He addressed the younger man directly in adequate but far from perfect Japanese, as if speaking in the language repulsed him, causing the boy who had saved the world three times in a row to squirm.

"My rank..?" He stammered.

"Yes imbecile, your rank?" Irritation seeped into Samuel's tone.

At a loss for words, Shinji once again had to be saved by Rei.

"Ikari is not a soldier in the Japanese State Army. He is simply an Evangelion Pilot."

The Imperial's eyes widened for a moment.

"I...see. What is your training then?" His hands folded behind his back.

"Um...I-I do regular synch tests. Apparently my Pilot Link is alright..." Shinji attempted to put on a positive tone, which only enhanced the British Aristocrat's disdain.

" _Synch tests_...any combat simulations?"

"N-no...I um..."

"Were you...given **any training** whatsoever before the Seraphim's arrival?" The Imperial said in disbelief.

"No. It was my first time." Shinji's eyes darted to the floor, desperately fighting back the memories of what nearly claimed his life.

 _It had me...I was alone, defenceless...I shouldn't have survived that._

Samuel's gaze drifted to Misato, an eyebrow raised in disgust.

"You threw him into combat without any preparation? I thought NERV was filled to the brim with secretive and unpleasant swine, but I never thought you were in the habit of dropping puppies into blenders." He shook his head slightly with a chuckle, causing her to crush a grimace.

"I'll be on the bridge." He turned away, giving a polite nod to his German colleague. Then, he gave some parting words of "advice."

"Ikari, myself and Asuka here have trained for this situation for the majority of our lives. We know what we are doing. It'll probably be for the best if you stay out of our way henceforth and leave it to the professionals." And like that he was gone, the redhead raising an eyebrow at his disappearing back as if to say _really?_

"So that was, Sam." Asuka sighed, trying to lighten the mood.

"He's not usually like this...he's just being a schwanz today...I'll chew him out for it later." She said with absolute certainty, indicating the aristocrat would have a good deal more to fear than Seraphim soon enough. Then her gaze was upon Shinji again.

"You might look like a meek dummkopf, and sound like one, and act like one, but I'm sure you'll be helpful at least. Just keep up with us and you'll be fine...that goes for the both of you." Asuka gave a quick glance at Rei, before smirking.

"Well, I'm sure the Captain will want you on the bridge as well Misato. Lots of paperwork to sign and stuff like that." She turned around, lazily beckoning for the group to follow her.

The purplehead quietly exhaled through her nose, expecting a good deal of what came out of the girl's mouth.

"Yeah, we're on our way." She nodded as she began to walk, the children under her charge swiftly following, with Asuka just ahead of them.

"Gut. Oh, and nerd with the camera-" The redheaded girl whirled around, glaring daggers at Kensuke.

"-if you don't take your perverted eyes off me, I will sew them **shut**."

* * *

 _Bridge_

"Even after Second Impact and all its horrors...paperwork continues to be a torture used by all societies." Captain Heinrich Langner, pen in hand, looked down upon the mountain of paperwork which had been slammed onto his bridge.

"It's been with us for thousands of years, and it will be for many more...unfortunately." Misato chuckled in concurrence as she herself had to put in a few signatures.

The bridge of the Seydlitz was a busy yet ordered place. Men of the Kaiserliche Marine ran back and forth, stiff in their uniform and manner.

 _As is expected of sailors of the Kaiser_ Asuka thought to herself, looking out at the grand view of the sea.

Roughly a hundred ships were crammed together, battleships, battlecruisers, carriers, heavy cruisers, light cruisers, corvettes, frigates and destroyers, an honour guard the likes of which the world had never seen. On average the Imperial ships were larger, due to the Empire's focus on fire power and size above all else, but they were fewer in number, the High Seas Fleet making up some 60% of the flotilla.

 _But they'd still be a match for us_

Germany was the master of the Baltic, keeping the Russian "red fleet" cooped up in Leningrad, with only the occasional submarine slipping through into the open sea. Their black sea fleet however, was a force so strong it took the combined navies of France, Spain, Italy, and Greece to contain it. But without a doubt, the Imperial Britannic Navy were the Lords of the Atlantic. Perhaps the Federal Guard Fleet could be a match for them at sea some day, but that was a long way off.

And as unpleasant as the Empire could be, Asuka was thankful those "Nazi wannabes" were separated from Europe by a vast expanse of ocean and a wall of Imperial steel.

The red head had to quickly bring her mind back to the matter at hand, when Samuel's jaw had tightened after the quiet scolding he'd received.

"How is it fair though? We've trained for years, we have every right to tell this...this... **militia man** to get in line." He grumbled.

"He's got just as much reason to fight as we have. Probably more, considering it's his homeland the Seraphim are attacking." She added, watching her British counterpart mumble in an irritated manner.

"Besides, we're still the best. We're Eva Pilot elites, and the world is going to see that now. If the Third Child can't keep up, that's his problem, but we can't just sideline him out of existence." Her hand gripped Samuel's shoulder, and forced him to face her.

" **Can we?** "

"Oh alright. I'll try and be a bit more...civil with him. Apparently these barbarians in particular have a concept of manners so it shouldn't be too hard." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then his expression darkened.

"What was that about the geeky one staring at you again?"

"Nein, you don't get to shoot him on the spot." A mischievous grin come into being upon that pretty freckled face.

"Besides, I said I'd sew his eyes shut if he ogled at me again."

Samuel couldn't help but laugh.

"You'd be a bloody terrifying provincial governor..."

"Nein mein freund. I think the title you're looking for is _Empress_."

* * *

On the other side of that room, Shinji stood in a corner next to Rei, still nervously observing the two fellow Pilots whose posture was confident and infallible. They were real Pilots, real soldiers, not like him.

"You are troubled, Ikari." A quiet whisper caught his attention.

"Hmm? Oh no, I'm fine, Ayanami-san really-" All it took was one look at those ruby red eyes, and he slumped in defeat.

"Alright, I am. I'm just feeling a bit...small...around them." He nodded in Asuka and Samuel's direction.

"But you have not decreased in height." Rei said in a confused manner, coaxing forth a chuckle from the son of her progenitor.

"Sorry, Ayanami-san, I keep forgetting to be specific with you." He shuffled around so he wouldn't have to twist his neck to speak with her.

"Look. Sometimes...you meet people who you feel are better than you. And occasionally, they are." He said sadly, not enjoying revealing one of the many unfortunate facts of life to her. To be frank, by a bizarre compulsion, all Shinji wanted to do was wrap his arms around this strange girl and try to shield her from how horrible this world was.

 _Is this what it's like to be a parent...no...an elder brother?_

"An individual cannot be inferior to another. They may be more capable at certain tasks, but that does not make them superior or inferior. It is flawed logic such as that which the Federation has committed its crimes in the name of. Besides-" Rei took a long look at the two.

"It remains to be seen who is the superior Pilot."

The way she said that, gave him the impression she'd not liked the way Meadow and Soryu had spoken to him, **at all**.

There was an abrupt commotion in the corner, Toji having to haul Kensuke away from some important equipment, grunting out "sorry" a few times whilst the German crewmen, not understanding Japanese, kept barking at the both of them.

"Considering his aptitude for military related subjects, perhaps bringing student Aida along was not such a good idea..." Rei's expression lightened microscopically, indicating that she found the situation "funny."

This alone, lifted Shinji's spirits.

"He's a bit of a moron, but he is my friend." He found himself saying out aloud, totally surprising him.

 _Did I...just...say that?_

" **That** is your friend? I'd question your taste, Ikari..." Samuel, who had crossed the room and was now standing before him, without really being noticed, was saying, before an elbow in the ribs from Asuka stopped him.

Wincing in pain, the Imperial muttered a "sorry."

"Kind of a dummkopf, but who am I to judge. I have to lug one around with me myself." Having finished gazing at the scene Kensuke was making, she gave a quick glare at Samuel, then focused on Shinji.

"So, what was it like?"

"What was-" The meek boy said, confused.

"Your first sortie of course. What are you stupid?" Asuka huffed indignantly, as if her time had been wasted.

"Um...I don't remember much. The Seraph beat me to a pulp, I passed out for a while..." Shinji's fist nervously clenched.

"When I woke up it was dead. I didn't really do anything. Apparently my Eva went haywire, crushed a shelter in the process of killing that thing..."

The conversation was non existent for a bit, before Samuel restarted it.

"What about the rest of them? How did you find those?"

"With the second one I panicked, used up all my ammo, got beaten to a pulp again and nearly killed some civilians. Those two over there actually." Shinji nodded at Kensuke and Toji, the latter of whom currently scolding the former.

"I managed to beat it in the end, but we lost an FCV and it's entire crew in the process. And the one after that..."

"And?" Asuka leaned in.

"The 6th Seraph nearly stopped Ikari's heart due to the pain it inflicted on him. I would be under the assumption he does not wish to be reminded of it." Rei put bluntly in her own way.

"Very well. What about you though...Ayanami is it not?" Samuel tilted his head, gaining a nod from the albino in question.

"You were part of the previous engagement. I heard your Unit was rather badly cut up." The Imperial pressed on, his curiosity of what a true battle was like driving him.

"It was the single most painful experience of my existence..." Rei fell quiet, as if pondering some new discovery.

"It would seem that I do not wish to be reminded of it either."

Shinji, whose expression had become concerned, placed a hand on his pale friend's shoulder.

"I am fine, Ikari." Her words caused his hand to detract, but not before giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"Jesus, you two are pretty close." Asuka remarked, deep down finding the interactions between the two to be adorable. In an infuriatingly weak way.

 _Can't rely on anyone or anything. They'll just leave you in the end._

"We've been through a lot." He nodded.

Although Samuel's expression remained refined and controlled, he couldn't help but ponder the words of his admittedly more experienced colleagues, their descriptions of actual combat with the enemy sounding intimidating.

 _No, that is only because of their inexperience. I have trained my entire life, for the sake of the Empire's honour I will not be bested by witless animals._

* * *

Meanwhile, over by that mountain of paperwork, the NERV Lieutenant Colonel and the German Captain looked upon their task with a feeling of hopelessness.

"How on earth do you need this much garbage? We're just handing your nice new shiny toy over." The elderly man grumbled.

 _Why oh why couldn't we have just taken the Imperial's stance on the matter? Unit 02 could have simply been property of the Reich and fought on its behalf, but nein! Instead we must hand over our greatest weapon to a private organization, UN overseen mein arse._

"You're preaching to the choir on that..." Misato couldn't help but agree, as she signed another form. As much as she was loyal to NERV, the purplehead did often wonder if even the Emperor of Japan himself had to sign as much paperwork as they did.

"Well look at you, all responsible now." A voice both new and old caused the thirty year old woman to snap her pen in both shock and rage. Slowly, but surely, she looked upwards.

 _It's...not..._ _ **possible**_ _._

Standing in the hatch, was a brown haired, pony tailed man, arms folded and a smirk on his covered in stubble face.

"Hello, Misato-chan." Ryoji said cheerfully, the quivering of her lip only causing his smile to broaden.

"It's been quite a while hasn't it?"

* * *

 _Mess hall_

The mess hall was a place that would buzz with activity at certain times of the day, but not right then. Most of the Kaiser's sailors were busy with their duties, which allowed the group to use a table. "A more comfortable place to talk" as this stranger put it. Apparently his name was "Kaji", at least as far as he could tell from Misato's growling.

Now that had been something new. Socially inept as Shinji was, even the boy from Kure could tell the two had history. History he wouldn't pry into.

"So." The newcomer began abruptly, his gaze fixing upon the boy.

"You must be the _legendary Third Child_."

The meek and humble young man made a few uncomfortable noises before putting words together. Completely failing to notice Asuka's irritation...

"I don't know why everyone keeps calling me that...but yes I'm the _Third Child_ as you people say."

"Oh don't be so modest, the man who defeated the enemy three times over, an enemy whose ranks are made up of eldritch demigods, deserves a little praise." Kaji waved his finger, dismissing Shinji's lack of self esteem.

"Th-Th-Thank you, sir...but I just got lucky..." He tried to swallow his embarrassment.

"True, luck can play a part, but no one gets by on it alone." The pony tailed man leaned back in his chair, as if he were some wise sage who had imparted wisdom upon the young.

"What are you doing here, Kaji-san?" Misato ground her teeth, the individual in question's mere existence offending her own.

"Why, I came all this way to see you of course!" The sun might have reflected off his white teeth, whilst the purplehead's cheeks may well have become hotter than a volcano's magma. Having fought down the urge to go "supernova", Misato composed herself and raised a single eyebrow, causing her old boyfriend to mockingly pout. Over dramatically throwing himself back in his seat, Ryoji exhaled loudly.

"Oh fine, it's hardly a secret anyway. The United Nations Intelligence Service has sent me to keep an eye on _Commander brick wall_ in case he's up to anything more shady than usual."

She relaxed at that, as if she hadn't put it past him to come all these thousands of miles just to infuriate her.

 _Baka hasn't changed a bit._

"You're staying in Tokyo-3 are you? " Misato said in a mockingly mournful tone.

"Yes indeed. On the other side of town unfortunately, but never fear. We'll be seeing each other plenty at work." Ryoji's wink provoked a growl from the woman two years his junior. However, the pony tailed man was not content with something so small as a growl. His gaze shifted back to the brown haired boy who sat quietly by himself at the end of the table. As someone who dealt with espionage, he was more than aware of this boy's history, and so quiet and shy a nature was hardly surprising considering the trauma he'd been through.

 _Mother dead at four, quickly abandoned by father, grew up home educated and isolated from his peer group, left to the mercy of the Chinese by a so called "friend of the family" and watched Fukuyama burn. Spirits, Commander, did you_ _ **want**_ _your son to be an emotional wreck?_

"Hey, you live with her don't you...Ikari-san isn't it?" The agent didn't look unsure about whether or not he was wrong, it just seemed he wished to be polite. Something the young man couldn't help but be appreciative of.

"Um...yes. I-I've lived with Misato-san for the past month." Shinji answered politely.

"Ah, I see. So tell me..." Ryoji's smirked.

"Does she still go crazy in bed?"

Shinji's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red than blood, Misato looked like steam would issue forth from her ears, and Asuka nearly fell off her seat, her reaction drowning out everyone else's. Although he could have sworn he'd heard a quiet murmur of "That is a very strange inquiry" from Rei.

Meanwhile the Imperial firmly placed the palm of his hand on his forehead, closing his eyes in mock despair.

"Oh for god's sake, Ryoji..."

" **What kind of question is that you sick bastard!?** " Misato's voice shook the earth. But clearly the Japanese agent was not bothered, his smirk persisting in the face of such rage.

"You haven't changed a bit, Misato-chan. Not one bit." He looked up in a mockingly dreamy fashion at her brown eyes, gaining nothing but daggers. However, the smile vanished, followed by a whimper of pain when two fingers clamped around his ear like an iron vice. Even a man such as Ryoji Kaji, cannot stand up to a force of nature.

Hell fire seemed to flow through Asuka's hair as she began yelling into his ear, the harshness of her now enhanced by fury guttural accent, slicing through his eardrums.

" **I cannot take you anywhere! Why on erde do I let you out in public, dummkopf, do I need to spank you right here and right now!?** "

The sight of an adolescent subduing a fully grown adult with relative ease, would have been amusing were it not for how terrifying the redhead was when provoked.

But whilst Toji, Kensuke, and Shinji stared, Misato frantically stifled a giggle, and Rei looked on unfazed, Samuel quietly laughed, eventually giving his brown haired Japanese counterpart a nudge.

"Imagine if she sat on Leopard's throne? Henry Abrams would be on his knees begging for mercy." He chuckled, provoking a similar response in Shinji, who couldn't hep but agree.

"Yes...I suppose..." He watched Asuka haul Ryoji off to somewhere else, so as to "discipline him", causing the Imperial to stand up and brush himself down.

"As _pleasant_ as it has been to meet you all, I cannot leave that poor man to his fate. He does amuse me somewhat. I may see you later...perhaps." He waved a gloved hand lazily at them, his uniformed back disappearing around the hatch corner.

The table was silent for a while, before the black haired jock commented on the situation.

"Have fun working with them."

"I do not see how such a scenario could be considered... _fun._.." Rei murmured, for the first time to herself.

* * *

 _Flight deck, a few minutes later_

Ryoji puffed out some harmless fumes from his e-cigarette, whilst gently nursing a bruise on his cheek that appeared in the form of a fifteen year old girl's hand. Said girl watched the waves roll past her, the Imperial major standing by her side, feeling a slight urge to swim, to embrace the cold feeling of water.

She corrected herself.

As prideful as Asuka was, even she would admit swimming in the tides of the ocean was not a wise idea.

"So what do you think of him?" Ryoji asked.

"Ugh, he's a gott verdammt doormat. Can't even stand up for himself without the First having to cover his arse." She groaned.

"So basically he's Europe with added protection?" Samuel chimed in, causing one of Asuka's eyes to start twitching.

"No Sam...we're not going there today."

"Ah yes. _Don't mention ze vor_!" The Imperial put on the worst German accent the redhead had ever heard, which caused her brain to become stuck between taking the course of laughter or rage.

"Oh that's just racist." She said, exasperated.

The aristocrat laughed, before opening his mouth to speak again. The words did not come however, as a pair of sapphire eyes fixed him in place.

"Samuel, one more peep out of you and you go head first into the pacific ocean. Understood?" A red eyebrow rose when the Imperial mumbled _yes ma'am._

It was Asuka's turn to smirk.

"Gut boy." She said in a mockingly motherly fashion, even ruffling his hair for added effect. He fumed in indignation, but did nothing.

"You feel Ikari-san isn't much then? I presume you feel the same about Ayanami-san?" Ryoji inquired, some information in the back of his mind coming forth. Information that would provoke a most interesting reaction indeed...

"They are Eva Pilots so I guess they're _one of us_ at the end of the day. But...they just aren't in our league. The Third is a total wimp-" Asuka was saying when Samuel dropped in with "not that he doesn't seem like an unpleasant chap" to which she gave a murmur of "maybe" before continuing.

"And the First...I'm not sure if **it** has a personality. I mean sure she's trained for about as long as we have but...the vacuum of space has got more life in it than she does." The redhead seemed thoughtful for a moment, then went straight back into "overblown beyond all reason."

"Anyway, me and Sam here can push our synch rates into 80% and above as you well know. And considering just how superior Unit 03, let alone Unit 02 is to the old trash cans they Pilot, it's not really a fair comparison." She waved Ryoji's question away, Samuel seconding it by saying "basically if we're the Imperial family, they're minor nobility."

The Japanese agent let those words hang in the air, then dropped his bombshell.

"So _minor nobility_ can hold a 67% synch rate after only a month of training?"

The gazes of the two teenagers locked onto him, both pairs of blue eyes widened in shock. Speaking at the same time, Asuka yelled " **What!?** " and Samuel said "Pardon?", aghast.

* * *

 _Within the bowels of the Seydlitz_

 _I can't believe the nerve of that guy! I haven't talked to him in ten years and now he shows up being all suave with me!?_

Misato fumed, her arms folded.

The group was travelling along one of the many escalators within the Friedrich class super carrier, which were vast. Shinji wasn't sure how long he'd been on this one in particular, even having flashbacks to that first day where his guardian had gotten them lost in NERV Central. But the multitude of signs, in a language he granted could not understand, gave him hope they were indeed going in the right direction.

"Not quite as big as a Yamato, but she sure is beautiful!" Kensuke's voice echoed, Toji shaking his head.

"Never took you as one for big women, Kensuke-san." He chuckled, provoking a huge geeky grin from the passionate military Otaku.

"Big **beautiful** women, Toji-san, there's a difference."

The two continued to babble away while Rei did her usual thing of "standing around."

Most would find the ethereal girl's deathly quiet unsettling, as if she was not of this plane of existence, let alone the Earth. Many would question her humanity upon first sight, then disregard after discovering she was a clone. An animated bag of flesh grown in a tube. Nothing more.

 _Only Ikari truly does not think of me like that. Whilst the Sub-Commander is kind...she is conflicted. He is not. It is bizarre...if I die I can be replaced. They know this, so why do they care?_

Her red gaze shifted onto the back of Shinji's head for a moment, then reverted to a blank expression.

The presence of the Second and the Fourth had caused these thoughts to surface, with the latter finding her "bloody weird" and the former asking "is it some kind of doll?" Sometimes, for reasons she did not understand, she really wished she wouldn't listen to other people's thoughts. But it was in her nature to be curious, having been starved of such things all her life.

 _An impressive structure. Not on the scale of NERV Central, but considering resources and budget, most impressive indeed._

Contrary to what many would perceive, Rei had actually been taking in all that she was seeing. How vast this one hundred thousand ton monster was, its fire power and aircraft capacity, were all things she now knew. Like the FCVs, it was another example of man's technological genius...

Being wasted.

 _How strange that humanity should put such effort into building killing machines on this scale instead of bettering their world. That is why the scenario is needed, to free mankind from such things as nations, war, fear and pain._

Shinji gave a quick look in her direction to check she were okay. Rei noted he did this a fair deal these days, and it was not unpleasant having someone keeping a watchful vigil on her. But the way he looked at her...it was as if to make sure she was right there and hadn't vanished...

Returning his gaze forward, the meek Japanese boy found himself inquisitively tilting his head.

"Are you okay Misato-san?" He'd finally noticed his guardian being very quiet, occasionally muttering "stupid Kaji" every now and then.

"I think we better stay out of that..." Toji cut in nervously, knowing full well questioning girls about anything sensitive tended to result in disaster or pain.

 _Sakura you could be such a pain sometimes..._ _ **no**_ he inwardly snarled.

No past tense, she would be okay. She would keep driving him crazy, she would keep complaining about his terrible cooking, and he would gladly put up with it. Anything for the little sister he'd practically raised.

 _Which reminds me..._

"Hey, Shinji-san. I'm going to be visiting Sakura tomorrow. Want to come with?" He offered.

His friend froze at the mention of the name, a tidal wave of guilt coursing through his mind.

"Th-Thanks but I...I..." He stammered before Toji cut him off.

"Don't be like that, Shinji-san. It's all settled now, and besides...she does want to meet you." He found himself smiling at the thought of the crippled twelve year old ordering him to bring Shinji to her. She held no grudge with him, much to the boy in question's surprise upon discovery. Even then, with Toji actually knowing the boy, he was certain his friend hadn't forgiven himself over the matter.

Which the black haired jock felt was sad.

After a bit of unsure mumbling, Shinji sighed and nodded in resignation.

"Alright. If you want..." He was said, then got patted on the back by the younger yet much larger Toji.

"Awesome! Thanks man, Sakura's wanted to meet you for **ages**."

Then, he looked back down the escalator and sighed, seeing Kensuke was still gawking at everything with his camera. Considering the escalator was reaching the end now, he walked back down, giving a cry of "Hey, Kensuke-san. Don't want you falling over or anything when we reach the top."

He proceeded to shake the sandy haired nerd back into reality.

Being mildly humoured by the situation, Shinji produced a ghost of a smile before turning his gaze forwards once again, the actual end of his trip on the escalator being in sight. Unfortunately, upon meeting a pair of sapphire eyes, the smile vanished, as fear and intimidation gripped the boy's soul.

"Third child." Atop the escalator, Asuka Zeppelin Soryu stood, her impervious gaze fixed upon him.

"You, with me, **right now**."

* * *

 _Flight deck_

It had been a strange image, Rei mused. The son of her progenitor, the victor of three engagements against an enemy beyond the simple comprehension of mortals, was dragged off by Pilot Soryu, being powerless against her will. Taking a quick poke at the German girl's thoughts, she'd picked up a feeling of " _I'll show him whose best!"_

Hence why Rei was now standing on the deck of the Air craft carrier, doing nothing but taking in her surroundings.

Beyond the aircraft and the Kaiser's sailors running around, lay the coastline of her "homeland", which had only recently come into view. This meant the fleet's ultimate destination of Togo harbour was soon to be reached.

Togo Harbour, primary base of the Japanese State Navy's Pacific Fleet, and main residence of their two most powerful vessels. The _Edo_ class Battleships, Owari and Tosa. The prides of the fleet. It did "fascinate" her in a way, how the human race would hold such attachment to inanimate objects. Granted, she herself did feel such things towards say, the book she recently acquired and the pair of glasses "gifted" to her by the Commander.

But as always, the First Child was not understanding of her own feelings. She felt another's presence brush against her own, causing the albino to turn her gaze upon the Imperial Eva Pilot. He stopped mid step.

"Am I...bothering you?" He put forward in a strangely polite manner, to which Rei responded with "no."

Nodding, Samuel brought himself over to her, hands clasped behind his back. He himself had not much else to do, as his friend had just hauled off the Third to goodness knows where.

"Quite magnificent for a Barbarian flotilla." He acknowledged the various ships of the Kaiserliche Marine steaming along, their formation and discipline being something he approved of and respected as a fellow soldier. But compared to the Imperial Navy's 5th fleet, filled to the brim with Battleships and Battlecruisers armed to the teeth, the High Seas Fleet did seem...pitiful.

 _They are only Barbarians after all_ Samuel smirked to himself, then cleared his throat.

"Your colleague appears to be quite weak willed. How often did you have to haul his simpering behind from the fire?" He said, attempting to complement and humour the girl. Even if he did view her as a bit "other worldly," he couldn't help but admire reservation such as that. It seemed Rei was in total control of her emotions, which in some ways she was. Granted it wasn't quite like that, but the British Major had seen such control before.

When in the presence of the Marshal's council. In the presence of the Grand High Marshal, of the Emperor...and his father.

"Ikari faced the first two Seraphim alone. The only time I was of assistance was when we engaged the 6th Seraph, and considering the circumstances, my role was entirely necessary." She replied swiftly and to the point.

"O..kay..." The blonde boy shifted uncomfortably, his attempt at complementing and humour having appeared to be lost.

"What's your story then? You've been prepared for a good deal of your life for this war, the files that weren't classified told me as much. But I know very little else." He tried something new.

"My _story_ is approximately the same as you have described. I have been prepared for my purpose for the entirety of my existence. Further details will be released to you on the matter once you arrive at NERV Central. Until then, what is classified remains classified."

The Imperial massaged his eyebrows in slight annoyance, then inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Very well. But surely you can talk about your Eva? It's meant to be an old creaking tub but Unit 00 isn't exactly hopeless from what I've heard."

"Age is of little relevance on the matter. Unit 00 operates at maximum efficiency and nothing less. Aside from the accident when it was first activated, it has worked at 100% effectiveness." The reply came quicker this time, causing him to grin slightly.

 _Attachment to your baby? I can understand that._

"Have I touched a nerve?"

"You are the Pilot of Unit 03, therefore you have touched NERV's property." The albino said, oblivious to the fun being poked at her, gaining yet another frustrated sigh from her new colleague.

"No, that's not what I...bloody hell, do you even know how to hold a conversation?"

Rei's eyebrows furrowed microscopically for a moment.

"I am not familiar with such things."

"Well...you should learn. What were you doing for the first sixteen years of your life? Living in your mother's basement?" Samuel snarked.

"I am not at liberty to say."

"Well what are you at liberty to say?"

"What I have been ordered to."

"Ah I see. Thank you for telling me oh so very much about yourself." The British boy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes while he did it.

However, of course, Rei missed that.

"You are welcome. Although I do not understand what you are thanking me for-" a loud harrumph could be heard as Samuel stormed off, being somewhat "fed up" with the conversation he was having with _this bloody computer_.

She watched him disappear back onto the command bridge, a few feelings rolling through her head.

 _Have I upset him? That was not my intent..._

* * *

 _Cargo hold_

He'd always found Unit 01 to be an impressive sight. The purple, the white, the great horn and those terrifying eyes blazing hellish white. It was alien and familiar, majestic and terrible. But what resided before him, crammed into the vessel in a fetal position, was every bit as eye catching.

Evangelion Unit 02, built with German efficiency and technology, a superior model to his Unit 01, lay before him. And standing on its head without losing her balance somehow, total pride on her face, was this monster's Pilot.

"This is my baby. Whereas Units 00 and 01 are the prototype and test type Evas respectively, **this** -" Asuka swung out her arm beneath her.

"-is the first production model Evangelion. A superior unit piloted by a superior pilot."

Silence hung across the vast chamber, only the occasional distant calls of men interrupting it.

"Well?" She tapped her foot impatiently, forcing Shinji to stammer something out.

"Uh...it's...black?"

"Oh really? I didn't notice." She glowered at this display of _utter stupidity_ before her Japanese counterpart managed to speak again.

"It-it-it's really nice! Really! The black goes really well with the reds and the whites." He shifted uncomfortably, gaining a "ha" from the red head.

"That's because **I chose them,** dummkopf. Not that I ever thought they'd distract anyone from the evident superiority of my Eva." Asuka shook her head with a slight tsk.

"Oh well. I'll just have to demonstrate that in combat simulations."

"C-Combat simulations? Aren't those what Meadow-san talked about?" Shinji scratched the back of his head in confusion. Whilst a part of his brain still functioning muttered "Shit" at the thought of engaging her in any form of contest.

"Ugh, you've got to be kidding me!" Her pale palm found its way to her brow with speed.

"A Combat Simulation is exactly what it says on the tin. You sit in your plug, they run a simulation, and you end up getting some battle practice. What are you stupid?"

The brown haired boy's mouth opened and closed for a bit until the German girl cut him off again.

"I'll take that as a yes. But don't think I'll go easy on you for it!" She really took the position of a high and mighty queen, looking down on the pauper whose mere existence had offended her.

"Uh...easy..." A little part of his soul trembled as he began to realise that perhaps **this** was the redhead at her most cordial.

 _Spirits...what would her being truly_ _ **angry**_ _be like?_

"Jah, easy! Just because you're the Commander's son doesn't mean you'll be getting any special treatment from me." Those sapphire orbs scowled down at him.

The mere mention of that man and his relation to him, provoked a wince and a balling fist Shinji could not keep down, causing a red eyebrow to raise in interest.

She didn't have time to plough into him on the matter, as it seemed the world started shaking. Both of them barely stayed on their feet, Asuka having to flap her arms around to balance herself.

"Shit." Shinji muttered to himself.

Noticing his colleague was in something of a predicament, a dangerous one at that, the meek young man ran over to the gargantuan metal clad monster.

"Jump!" He called up to her, as the reverberations continued. .

"What!?" She yelled back down at him.

 _That's...quite a fall, Third._

"I'll catch you!"

A fierce glare caused the boy to nearly soil himself, quickly exclaiming "I'm sorry I'm sorry!"

"Pfft, I don't need a _Knight in shining armour_ to take care of me, Thir-" And then she was thrown off "her baby" by the ship being simply _brushed_ by something... **massive**. Fortunately, Shinji quickly raised his arms again, and by sheer dumb luck was in just the right position.

Unfortunately his new redheaded colleague impacted at what could be described as "terminal velocity." Being crushed beneath her, the boy banged his head savagely on the floor, leaving him a little dazed. Despite groaning in pain, somewhere in his brain he was impressed with the catch he'd made.

Even more so he hadn't messed up, and someone hadn't had to die because of it...

" **Dummkopf**! What sort of catch was that!?" Asuka tore his arms off her and stood up, this time maintaining her balance through sheer willpower.

"Verdammt, what the hell is Langner doing? Can't he keep his ship together in shallow waters?" She growled, then cast a quick look at the boy still sprawled on his back.

For a moment, just a minuscule microscopic moment, something flashed in her eyes.

Something that could almost be mistaken as "concern." It vanished as quickly as it had come.

"You couldn't have hit your head that hard, Third. Get up." The freckled girl commanded, to which Shinji couldn't help but obey. Rising to his feet by his own will, he finally managed to shake away the stars in his eyes and start thinking straight again.

"It...it can't be that choppy, not this close to the coast..." His words hung in the air for a while, before dark blue met sapphire, something akin to sheer terror in the former.

"Oh Spirits **let me be wrong**!" He screamed, barrelling back up to the top deck, Asuka pounding after him yelling "What Third!?" again and again.

All whilst ship's alarms began to scream, and a voice in a language he didn't understand started barking " _all hands battle stations! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!_ "

* * *

 _Flight deck_

By the time the two Eva pilots reached the flight deck, everything was already in total chaos. _Meer Wulfs_ were taking off as fast as they could, and multiple ships burned in the distance, ripped in half by some terrible power. Crews were trying to swim away from their sinking vessels, some being tugged down into the black abyss of the ocean by their former homes. The other ships were desperately lobbing depth charges and torpedoes into the water.

Panting, Shinji scanned across the scene, trying to ignore the Imperial Harrier's darting around.

Then, after the rent and ruined remains of a nuclear submarine was tossed from beneath the waves, he saw it. His fears confirmed.

The geyser of water, the tingling sensation he'd felt went confronted by the power of those who sought Mankind's end, caused Shinji to clench both the safety rail and his teeth.

" **Seraphim**." He snarled.

Undaunted by any of these things, the recently arrived Asuka pressed her rosy lips into a smile.

"Wunderbar..."


	29. 7:3 Units 02 and 03

_11:15am, twelve miles out from Togo Harbour,_

"Heavens..." Admiral Kenchi Tsuruku, aboard the bridge of his flagship, the HIMS Osaka, lowered his binoculars with an aghast expression, one his staff mirrored.

The GAAFT task group, more than one hundred ships, was frantically firing blindly into the water, its vessels slowly being picked off one by one.

It should have been a simple matter. This massive fleet coming into Japanese waters would be met by his ships and escorted to Togo harbour. A diplomatic display to show the world Japan was still in charge of its own affairs. Now it would seem the enemy, the "Seraphim" had decided to strike. His commander, Admiral Takeida, the Navy's member of the Defence Board, had raged for days about the ships and men he'd lost in that first terrible engagement, giving Tsuruku the impression his fleet, the Pacific fleet, wouldn't stand a chance.

"Admiral, they're calling for assistance." One of his aides said, causing the elderly man to wince.

 _I can't risk the Pacific fleet in a battle we can't win...but...we can't just leave them._

"Should I give the order for attack speed, Admiral?" The Captain of the Osaka pressed, desperate for an order.

A few moments of indecision followed. Then another aide raced up to Tsuruku and saluted.

"Orders from NERV sir. We're to attack at once."

"Since when did those spooks give us orders!?" A Lieutenant snarled.

"Admiral, they apparently have four Evangelion Pilots onboard the Seydlitz. We've been ordered to make an escape route."

Silence hung upon the bridge of the Osaka, every man there understanding the significance of the situation.

 _Losing two Evas would be bad enough...but every Pilot we currently have?_

Tsuruku sighed a tired sigh, nodded, and accepted his duty.

"Full speed ahead. All hands battle stations." His command was chorused by various officers. Alarms screamed through that summer morning across the eighty ships of the Pacific fleet.

* * *

 _15 miles out from Togo Harbour, sixty feet beneath the surface_

The periscope beheld the chaos unfolding before it, as one of the most powerful fleets ever assembled was ripped to shreds. This enemy tore through A-T fields and steel hulls like a knife carving a cake. The periscope snapped back down, the bearded forty-four year old man brought his eyes away from it. His words were quite telling of his feelings on the matter.

" _Chyort_. Dive to a hundred metres." Captain First Rank Alexi Cherepanov removed his cap and mopped his brow, the interior of the K76 being cramped and humid as was to be expected of a Russian S2 Submarine.

There was a cry of "yes sir" followed by "new depth, one hundred metres!"

"How bad?" His Captain Lieutenant looked at him, fear in his eyes.

"Gulf of Riga bad. What's on the frequencies?" He sighed, gaining murmurs of despair and disbelief from his men. Referring to the battle of the Gulf of Riga, the reversal which cost the Socialist Russian Federation control of the Baltic, in so flippant a manner could only mean the worst.

"Call for help is being blasted across all radio waves. They're in real trouble." The operator muttered.

"What do we do, sir? We could make a break for Hong Kong?" Senior Michman Sergei Kolov offered, before the sound of a hatch opening and boots impacting the floor could be heard.

 _Blyat_

"What is the situation, Cherepanov?" Nikhil Kadinikov, their vessel's political officer, bared down on them, hard eyes appraising them beneath his peaked cap.

"The fleet has come under attack. Multiple ships lost already, I recommend that we withdraw-" Alexi winced when Nikhil raised his hand.

"How severe is it?"

"Dozens of ships destroyed sir, SOS signal on all frequencies. Apparently four active Eva pilots are aboard. The JSN pacific fleet is moving to their aide. The...the reports are saying it's a Seraph." The radio operator gulped, trying not to meet the gaze of what was for all intents and purposes, a _Commissar_.

Nikhil nodded.

"Captain, put your men to battle stations. The motherland is in peril comrades, we must move quickly. Send word to our allies." He said sternly, gaining a nod from Cherepanov who began barking out orders.

"All hands man your battle stations, prime all torpedo tubes and prepare for firing solution. And someone tell that damn Chinese sub to give us a hand!"

* * *

 _Bridge of the Seydlitz_

"No damn it, tell them to turn back!" Misato barked in desperation, gaining a sad shake of the head from Admiral Scheer.

"It's your organization whose given the order, Lieutenant Colonel, there isn't much we can do about it."

 _But they don't stand a chance!_ She raged within her head, questioning Commander Ikari's wisdom. Numbers meant very little against Seraphim, three hundred and fifty thousand men couldn't stop even **one** , so it was not unreasonable to think the JSN didn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

 _Unless...they're meant to be a distraction?_

That thought was as disturbing as what circled beneath them.

"Sir! The Defence Board has ordered all available FCVs to provide assistance, HIMS Uesegi and Minamoto are already en-route." A Lieutenant smartly relayed in his mother tongue.

"Tell them to begin attack as soon as possible, our aircraft will designate the target's position. And someone get those verdammt holograms up!" Scheer continued to bark out commands at an astonishing rate, his brilliant tactical mind going over his options.

"That won't be enough Admiral, and those FCVs will never get here in time. I'd recommend using the-" Misato was cut off by the High Seas Fleet Admiral.

"They are not equipped for combat at sea, Lieutenant Colonel. Besides, I'm an Admiral of the Kaiser's navy...sending children into the meat grinder **isn't my job**." His words stung the purplehead badly.

"Holograms online, sir!" Another officer relayed. Two blurry 3-D images of men came into being. Powered by a small S2 engine, and manifested through the bending of A-T fields, holograms were a cutting edge technology, used only by the military.

One was of a man most likely in his sixties, whose hair had already turned white.

Misato knew him immediately as Admiral Kenchi Tsuruku.

The other hologram, being of a man she'd met earlier that day.

Sea Marshal Dominic Stewart, of the Imperial Navy's 5th fleet looked angry, his gaze in particular becoming fixed on the NERV Lieutenant Colonel.  
Disdain evident in his eyes.

"Gentlemen. We're in the _scheisse_." Scheer spoke directly to the other two admirals, gaining a smile from the Tsuruku, and a harrumph from Stewart.

"The enemy has taken us completely by surprise, we are carrying two Evangelions, and four Pilots. In short, if we lose today then the various nations of men are finished." His tone hardened towards the end, getting across the severity of the situation.

"Any questions, or shall we get to business?"

Neither of the men responded.

"Good. I've lost fifteen ships already, and from the reports I'm hearing the Empire has lost three Battle Cruisers. Is that correct?" Scheer directed at Stewart, gaining a saddened nod in return.

" _The Northampton, the Sheffield, and the Glasgow. I knew their captain's on a first name basis..."_ The Imperial Admiral trailed off, his fist balling.

" _Savage creature...it'll pay in blood."_

"Let us hope so, Admiral Tsuruku your fleet is at full strength is it not?" The German turned to his Japanese counterpart, gaining a puff of the chest in pride from the elderly man.

" _The Pacific fleet stands ready. My submarines have already commenced assault and we are launching fighters-"_ he was cut off by the sound and sight of a _Taira_ being tossed from the water and landing on a _Pruessen_ Heavy Cruiser, resulting in the larger ship being crushed, killed any noise in that room.

More explosions followed as panicked cries came from Tsuruku's end, his expression paling.

" _Our submarine attack force has just been halved. Forgive me, Admiral but I must withdraw them."_

" _Fick_." A Lieutenant muttered under his breath, his commander massagin his eyebrows.

"Then we must make for Togo harbour, all ships shall act as shields for the Seydlitz and the Dominion. It is imperative their cargo reaches land." A few heads nodded in agreement, until a sad sigh caught their attention.

Misato looked forlornly at them.

" _Have you something to say barbarian? Well, out with it!"_ Stewart snapped, although one could hardly blame him. It was a trying day after all.

"You can't. If we go for the harbour then that just makes the Seraph's job easier. We'll all be boxed together and it will crush us like insects one at a time. And even if we did make it, I wouldn't be surprised if the damn thing sprouted legs to pursue us. Our **only** option is to use the Evas." She emphasized that last point.

There was more commotion on Tsuruku's end, his expression momentarily becoming one of horror.

" _My rear ships have been destroyed, it...it's driving us towards you...how did it get behind us."_ He said calmly, regaining control of his composure as he directed those last words at his staff. Muttering broke out among the German sailors at this alarming development. Misato's heart stopped as she realised what was going on.

"Oh Spirits...it's **corralling** us."

* * *

 _One of the Seydlitz's cabins_

Sitting on his bed, Ryoji Kaji furiously pressed buttons on his phone, a briefcase marked _classified tier one_ lying by his side. It rang for a few moments, then the agent was greeted by a stoic voice.

" _Ah, Agent Kaji. I have heard the reports...this is unexpected."_ Said Gendo Ikari.

"Unexpected my ass. Ugh, I should have known it wouldn't be this easy, not with you people." Ryoji took a quick look out his porthole as another ship, a Japanese cruiser, was ripped apart.

" _What are you suggesting, agent?"_

"Don't bullshit me, old man. There are tens of thousands of people here, **have I put their lives in danger**?"

" _I assure you this was not of my making. I did not expect the Seraphim to home in on Adam at this point. Perhaps if you were to bring it to Central via aircraft, the enemy may break off its attack. "_

"Or it'll most likely blast me out of the sky."

" _Not when it has hundreds more targets to pick."_

"You bastard..."

" _Perhaps. Although I might add four Pilots are onboard those ships, and I have use for them. Not to mention my combat operations director-"_ the conversation ended abruptly when Ryoji almost broke the _end call_ button due to how hard he pressed it.

He breathed deeply for a few moments, then dialled the necessary numbers with a resigned expression.

"Captain. I have a priority one cargo to deliver to NERV Central. Prepare a VTOL."

Finishing his call, he tossed the phone aside.

"I'd hoped we'd have a better reunion...Misato-chan..."

* * *

 _Cargo hold_

"We need to tell Misato-" Shinji vehement objection was cut off immediately.

"No time for that scheisse, dummkopf, we've got a **world** to save!" Asuka's smile kept broadening. With her hand clamped around his wrist, she hauled the brown haired boy down a flight of stairs with a bag she'd just acquired slung over her shoulder. Eventually depositing her cargo outside a storage room, the redhead pointed a threatening finger at him.

"If you even think of peeking whilst I get changed, you'll have something far more scary than a Seraph to deal with."

 _Somehow I believe that_ his subconscious muttered.

Unzipping the bag, she pulled out two plug suits and shoved one into his arms

"What am I meant to do with this?" He said, confused.

"Put it on."

"But it's a girl's plugsuit..."

Her expression became deadpan.

"You act like I care. Now put it on, **or I'll make you put it on**." She gave him _the evils_ before disappearing into the cabin, slamming the door behind her. Leaving Shinji with a plugsuit not designed for his sex, let alone himself.

Had Asuka the choice, she'd have picked different colours for the tight fitting rubbery _space suit_ she had to wear. At one point the freckled girl had, barely a few years ago. The redhead often thought back to her old suit with great fondness. But...she didn't entirely hate the Reich regulation she had these days.

Granted the black, white and red clashed horrendously with her mane and only served to highlight her _verdammt freckles_. But somehow, it worked nicely.

Having stripped, the German girl tenderly set aside her sundress, folding it with uncharacteristic care. Slipping first her legs, and then her arms into the suit, Asuka eventually pulled the loose fitting rubber up to her neck. Looking down at the button on her right wrist, she wrapped a hand around it and squeezed.

Immediately, it hugged her slender frame

For a moment, her mind dwelt on what was circling the vessel. The awesome power which she'd only witnessed through footage of previous engagements. Power which was on the verge of destroying the world. Her sapphire eyes narrowed. She set herself to the task at hand, purging herself of all doubt with four simple words.

 _Time to go Asuka._

Suited up and prepared for battle, the German girl threw the door open and re-emerged, brimming with confidence in her own ability. Only to be confronted with the sight of a similarly suited boy lying on the floor, a hand firmly grasping his underparts.

"What...are you doing?" She looked down on the unmoving Shinji.

"This is a girl's plugsuit." He squeaked.

"And?"

"This is a girl's plugsuit. What do boy's have that girl's don't?"

Asuka shook her head and growled.

"Ugh, **man up**."

* * *

It has been awkward to walk in this thing, as even his admittedly smaller than average manhood was crushed by the suit. But he had to deal with it, and besides it hurt nowhere near as much as the various tortures the enemy had subjected him to. Nevertheless, Shinji found himself unable to complain about his purple and white plugsuit any more.

Now he was crammed into an already cramped entry plug, except in this instance he had company. Scary company.

Asuka began to speak, her tone authoritative. She was talking in German so he didn't understand, but with the repetition of certain words he could guess it was a start up sequence. A wave of colours rushed through the LCL filled plug, various connections between Pilot and Eva being made, until everything went black and various warning signals appeared, accompanied by an alarm.

"What...what's happening?" The Japanese boy looked around, alarmed at the flashing red words he didn't understand.

She threw her head back and groaned in exasperation.

"That's thought noise, **your thought noise**. It's programmed for me, dummkopf, therefore it'll only recognize my language. So if you're going to think do it in German."

"O-okay. Um, s-stroodle, schnitzel..." He stopped as her gaze fixed on him, daring him to say anything else.

"...sieg?"

Furiously inhaling Asuka ground her teeth in annoyance.

"Alright fine we'll reprogram for Japanese. _Visual sequences engage_."

The rainbow rushed past them again, then a crystal clear image of the outside world surrounded them.

" _Nerve sequences engage_."

The sudden yet familiar feeling of weight rushed into their bodies. Shinji steeled himself for the work to come, Asuka revelled in its power and warmth.

"Clearance code, Reich's security mark _eins_. Evangelion, _Einheit zwei_ , **los**!"

* * *

 _ **Fish in a barrel**_ Gaghiel quietly mused, as the enemy fleet was bunched together more and more, useless missile fire raining down on him from above.

Even if he were slow enough to be hit, his wall of light remained impenetrable to the Vooren.

A vessel was trying to break away from the main group, small fast and sleek. The Sovereign's finest admiral couldn't help but admire the ship building capabilities of their foes. Compared to the old longboats and ramming vessels his people had used in war at sea, they seemed like chariots of the Gods. So it did pain him to cut the vessel in two via barging through it.

His commands were specific, **no survivors**.

Watching the two chunks of torn metal sink to the bottom, dozens of individuals frantically thrashing around as water filled their lungs, he felt his heart sink.

 _ **You poor devils aren't meant for swimming are you?**_

 _ **Such is war my Heir. Now, has the enemy been appropriately positioned?**_ Haniel's voice reverberated through his mind.

 _ **Yes, Fist. Time to finish this sorry show.**_ Gaghiel accelerated towards the heart of the fleet, specifically targeting the larger vessels. Strange barrels were dropped into the water from above, exploding at different depths. Again, the Divine had to be impressed by Vooren technology. But compared to true power, it availed them nothing.

Brushing the depth charges aside, the great whale charged forward only to feel a sudden tingling in its spine.

 _ **Can it be...**_ He slowed to a halt, letting his senses reach out and feel a power equal to his own.

 _ **An Evangelion? What good would using one out here do?**_ The Fist said, inquisitive.

 _ **It matters not.**_ Gaghiel steeled himself.

 _ **Well then, Vooren. It's high time you understood the taste of defeat...**_

* * *

"S-s-sir..." an officer stammered, staring at his screen.

"What is it?" Langsman held his hands behind his back.

"Evangelion Unit 02 has activated..."

Everyone on the bridge stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Misato's face lit up, while Scheer's expression varied between surprise and annoyance.

"That...little..." He hissed before regaining control of himself. Marching over to the comms officer he barked "patch me through."

"Countess Soryu you are not authorized-" He stopped mid sentence, cut off by a voice no one else could hear.

"Yes, miss, I understand Unit 02 is NERV's property but..." his resigned sigh said all on the matter.

"She wants to speak to you." He directed at the purplehead, handing her the mouthpiece.

Misato, beaming from ear to ear, took it and held it to her mouth. It did feel strange to not see who she was talking over vid link, but this would do. The military was incredibly utilitarian after all.

"Nice one. But you could've have talked to me about this..." She mockingly pouted.

" _You, me, talk?_ _ **Ha!**_ _I'm only calling up because dummkopf here thinks you need to know everything."_ There was a murmur of " _hello, Misato-san"_ in the background.

"Oh did you have to rope poor Shinji-kun into this?"

" _He's safer here than he is anywhere else. Now, have you got that fat ficker located so I can rip it apart?"_

"If you get up here, the Seraph will come to you. Let's see how an _Eva Pilot elite_ performs in combat." Misato turned to face the command staff of the Seydlitz, determination and confidence etched into her features.

"Unit 02 is on its way up. All power to the flight deck shields. They're going to have to take that weight!"

Everyone else stared back at her, their expressions paled or totally lost. All save for those fellow children of Japan and the Imperial Major who'd watched the conversation play out.

Scheer blinked himself back into this plain of existence.

"Well you heard her! Concentrate A-T field over the flight deck!"

"We're taking orders from private security?" Even when holographic, Stewart's tone was aghast.

"If you want to live through this, Marshal, then you better just deal with it." The purplehead irritatedly hand waved the Imperial Admiral, appointed to his position by Emperor Charles himself.

Dominic's lip quivered with anger. But Misato didn't care. She had a job to do.

As the various bridge crew busied themselves with the orders set by this strange but competent soldier, Scheer quickly cast his gaze upon the _young people_ standing in the corner.

 _How does Gendo Ikari sleep soundly at night, when he sends girls and boys of that age to their deaths?_

Smoothing over his general loathing of NERV, he brought himself over to the Eva pilots and their _tag alongs_. Focusing on the black and sandy brown haired ones, he looked at each one individually.

"Boys...this is no place for children..." Scheer was saying until Kensuke cut him off.

"With all due respect, Admiral, we're just as dead wherever we are on this boat. If I'm going to die, I wouldn't mind a front seat view."

"That...that is a very unhealthy view of the world. You'll be quite safe don't worry-" He trailed off upon seeing Toji shake his head.

"Admiral, my friend is down there. He is skinny, he is a wuss, and apologises all the time. If he can go out and fight that thing, then surely we can stand here **without causing trouble**." He evil eyed Kensuke.

The Admiral of the High Seas fleet massaged his eyebrows, then relented.

"Very well...just stay out of the way."

"Sure thing!"

 _And there I was thinking the Japanese had lost their taste for suicide..._ Scheer walked away, disbelief, amusement and...respect in his eyes.

"A-T field rerouted to the flight deck! Secondary S2 reactor at maximum power!" An officer called out, gaining a satisfied nod from Misato.

A lowered section of the vessel, the cargo lift, arose, carrying a crouched black monster. Jolting to a halt, the Evangelion stood up to its full magnificent height, its great weight would have caused the Carrier to capsize were it not for the A-T field upon which it currently stood.

" _Have you found it yet?"_ Asuka's increasingly impatient voice crackled over the comms.

"We can't pick it up with anything, but I'll bet you've got its attention now. Be ready" The purplehead said authoritatively.

 _Well, that's one active. One to go..._

"Meadow-san, get to your Eva! Take Ayanami-san with you." She shot off at the blonde Imperial, before realising Samuel was staring at her with his arms folded.

"Are you giving me an order, Barbarian?" He said, smugly.

"Yes! Now go!"

"The Empire is here to provide assistance, not to serve. So ask again politely." He smirked as the combat operations director's nose twitched.

 _You...cannot...be serious. Not now...not now..._

Swallowing back her pride and dignity, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Would the Empire be gracious enough to provide assistance?"

Her words were met with a cocky grin and satisfied nodding of the head from Samuel.

"As you have asked so very nicely, the Great British Empire finds it within its beneficence to offer you our help. Marshal, send us a Harrier. _Plank_ , with me!" Samuel beckoning for Rei to follow him, disappearing through the hatch.

The albino in question stood still, unmoving. Misato pressed a tired hand to her forehead.

"Go on, Ayanami-san. Help him."

" _Ryokai,_ Lieutenant Colonel."

* * *

"For heaven's sake I don't have all day..." Asuka harrumphed, her gaze darting across the water.

The fleet has been torn up badly, forty-eight pyres of smoke being testament to that. And the many hundreds, perhaps even thousands of bodies floating face down in the water...made the red head inwardly cringe.

 _Gott in himmel don't let me die like that._

"Where are you?" She whispered to herself.

Shinji, kneeling by her seat's side, could understand her feelings. Personally however, he was more focused on tensing his muscles and preparing for movement. It wasn't so much seeing the impending assault before it occurred, but being ready to react.

"We shouldn't stay still like this." He said nervously, a drop of sweat trickling down the back of his neck.

"Ugh, Third you're in my baby. You're perfectly safe, so shut up and let me concentrate." The red head growled, not enjoying the idea of sharing her cockpit with this _dummkopf_.

But he was a valuable asset, a fellow Eva Pilot Elite. She couldn't let him die out here.

He felt the winds drop out of his sails, complying with the redhead's commands. She was better trained, better prepared and in a superior Unit after all. She didn't need his input.

 _No one really does..._

"Doesn't it...scare you? Being alone out here?" He asked gingerly.

The freckled girl quietly chuckled with a small, knowing smile upon her lips. As if what Shinji had said to her was the innocent question of a toddler.

"What are you laughing at?" He sad incredulously.

Asuka turned her sapphire gaze upon the unwelcome guest in her _home_.

"Oh, _dummkopf_. We **really** aren't alone here. Help's on the way..." Her eyes narrowed.

"Not like I need it or anything..."

* * *

 _HMS Dominion_

The Harrier was waiting for them when the Eva Pilots reached the Seydlitz's flight deck, engines roaring and ready to go. Scarcely five minutes later, the two were being escorted down a corridor by Imperial Marines, their fancy blood red chest armour clashing with, yet complimenting, their navy blue uniforms. With Talevera rifles held competently, and brimmed caps firmly jammed on their head, the _army at sea_ were a sight to behold.

Not that Rei noticed.

Reaching the entrance to the cargo hold, two lab coated technicians greeted Samuel, slamming their fists to their chests whilst scarcely acknowledging the albino.

"Major Meadow, sir. Unit 03 is prepped and ready for deployment as per instruction. But...sir...are you sure about bringing a barbarian onboard-" the swift raising of Samuel's hand stopped them.

"A Barbarian she may be, but Ayanami here is an Evangelion Pilot. We can't go losing any of them just yet, and as my Unit is probably one of the safest places to be currently..."

"Understood, sir. Happy hunting." They stood aside and allowed the two children through, the marine escort breaking off and assuming guard duty by the entrance.

He walked with hands held behind his back, the albino staying just behind him, her red gaze flashing all over the place as if she were looking for something. Seeing this, the Imperial couldn't help but have his curiosity piqued.

"Is there a problem?"

"Do you not have plug suits?" Rei said, her expression showing a hint of confusion. There did not appear to be a dressing room in sight for some reason...

"What? Those awful things, god no. If I'm going to die I'll do it in my uniform and with my dignity thank you very much."

"You Pilot an Eva without one?"

Samuel shot her a look of _isn't that obvious?,_ before realising it wasn't to her.

 _Oh bloody hell how dense are you?_

"Yes. I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those things. What's your point?" He huffed, his pace quickening. Not in attempt to outstrip the _Plank_ , but to get to his Eva as soon as possible. Although things had gone quiet, with ships not being annihilated at random for the moment, the aristocrat knew from experience such occurrences usually heralded a storm.

"It is NERV regulation to wear plug suits for Eva related operations-" Rei was saying before Samuel interrupted.

"And I'm not NERV. Hence how I don't have those ridiculous hair clips as well. It is by the grace of His Imperial Britannic Majesty that you are even **onboard** this vessel. And it is by that continued grace, we shall help you save the world." He said dismissively. They rounded the corner, and the First Child set her eyes upon Evangelion Unit 03.

Some of the NERV higher ups, in particular Ritsuko, had told her a few things about the Empire's personal god machine and possible future tool of conquest.

 _The lightest Evangelion. Built to be fast and agile. Cannot take damage like any other Eva, with only Unit 00 being weaker, but is less likely to be hit due to its speed. Akagi-san also said its aesthetic is a good deal more extravagant._

Rei appraised the navy blue monster.

 _She was not incorrect._

Unit 03 was not much like any of its kin. It's body was more elaborate, coloured mostly with a navy blue paint job, except its breastplate was jet black with golden piping. The Imperial Sigil, the rampant Lion emblazoned on the shield, residing there proudly.

It had cuffs and a collar of a similar pattern, gauntlets painted white as if they were gentlemen's gloves. And as for the head, the narrow helmet with a faceplate covered almost everything, save for a small triangle of black out of which a single white eye would swivel. It was a far more elaborate style compared to those of Units 00, 01, and 02, and that was without the long thin horn projecting out of its _forehead_.

 _It serves no purpose. Why is it there? Even Unit 01's can function in battle, this is too thin. It would snap with ease._

Style over effectiveness so it would seem. Typical of the Empire.

The back of Unit 03 was already retracted, revealing an entry plug painted in a similar manner to the Eva's breastplate.

Marching over a catwalk that brought them directly next to the now open plug, the two slipped in with the hatch closing above them. Samuel manoeuvred himself into his seat, adjusting his grip on the control sticks as he got himself comfortable. Rei found it curious to see this boy who was filled to the brim with confidence in his own ability and the prowess of his nation, close his blue eyes and deeply inhale through his nose. As if he was calming his nerves.

Opening his eyes, he pushed a button on his right control stick.

"Control, we're in."

" _Understood, Major Meadow. Plug insertion is complete, beginning LCL submersion."_

Orange liquid flooded the small compartment, completely filling it after a few moments.

The albino had never experienced a submersion when not in her own plug before. To be in a crouching position as the liquid that smelt of blood rose past her hair, was a strange feeling indeed.

" _Submersion complete. Beginning deployment. Good hunting sir, give our boys some payback."_

"Understood. Hail Britain." Samuel said dutifully, a flash of colours washed over the plug as connections to Unit 03 were made.

" _ **Hail Britain!**_ _"_ The _other end_ said before the line cut.

"Now that's out the way..." The Imperial aristocrat muttered to himself.

"This is programmed to only recognize High Imperial, miss Ayanami. So if you could keep your thoughts to yourself that would be excellent." He closed his eyes, and let the familiar sensation of warmth fill his soul.

A moment later, there were a few beeping noises and a crystal clear image of the Vanguard class battleship's cargo hold filled the plug.

Connection was made.

Samuel nodded in satisfaction, looking over his shoulder at Rei again, a blonde eyebrow raised.

"You're very good at this. Keep it up."

 _She's either very good at quietening her thoughts, or doesn't really think that much to begin with. From what I can gather, the latter is more likely._

"Voice recognition, Samuel Alexander Meadow. Password, _Sophie_. _For the Empire's glory,_ Evangelion Unit 03, **activate**." He barked.

Above the Eva's face plate, a single solitary eye flickered into existence.


	30. 7:4 Gaghiel, the maw

_Sedlitz, flight deck_

"Alright Third, I'll admit this is kind of weird." Asuka had to fight back the feeling of confusion.

No sign of movement, at all, for six minutes straight. An uneasy calm had fallen upon the tens of thousands of people anxiously thinking about what resided in the blackness of the depths.

" _Kind of_? This is **not** normal Seraph behaviour...not by a long shot." Shinji's eyebrows had long since knitted together.

 _It's got to know where we are. So...what's it waiting for?_

Pushing these thoughts from his mind, the meek young man assisted his comrade in searching for the enemy, seeing nothing.

Then, something caught Asuka's attention. Her lips pressed into a small grin. Shinji followed her gaze over to an Imperial battleship in the distance, upon which stood...

"There's your help, Third." The redhead said in an amused and despairing tone.

"That's Unit 03?" Shinji was impressed by the ornate behemoth that was currently looking at them with its one eye. That was before _reason_ kicked in again.

"What's the point of that horn?" He leaned back, his eyebrows raised.

"Oh _tell me about it_...he thinks it looks _cool_." Asuka rolled her eyes.

"Well...granted it does but...it would snap off so easily..."

" _Cut the chatter you two. We'll be establishing radio link between you and Unit 03 momentarily. Oh, and Marshal Stewart says don't bother commenting on its design. Apparently even he thinks that horn is stupid..."_ There was chuckling on both ends.

A few moments later, the Imperial Aristocrat's face flashed up on vid comm.

" _Well well, looks like I have time to steal your thunder after all."_ Samuel grinned, running through the multiple routes he could use to get to his comrades.

"We'll see my young apprentice...we'll see..." The redhead offered sardonically.

" _I do not understand how one can steal thunder..."_ Rei poked her head gaze out from behind the seat.

"Ayanami-san? What are you-" Shinji's tone became semi-alarmed until his Imperial counterpart interrupted.

" _Your girlfriend is perfectly safe with me, Ikari. You have my_ _ **word**_ _on that."_

" _Pilot Meadow is correct. An Evangelion Unit is one of the most secure locations to be in during a Seraph attack. Do not worry, Ikari."_ The albino reassured in her own way.

Not appeased but taking what he could, Shinji sighed in resignation and nodded his head.

"Alright, how are you getting over here?"

" _Don't trouble yourself...the Empire always has a plan."_ Samuel trailed off, the blue Eva bending its knees, preparing to jump.

"Oh...well it's what I'd do..." Asuka trailed off, leaving her brown haired colleague to wonder what the Imperial had in mind.

* * *

 _Bridge_

Stewart's hologram appeared to look back at nothingness, his expression contorting into wide eyed concern as many things were barked at him. He nodded at whatever was being said, which was followed by alarms blaring across the 5th fleet.

Turning back to his "colleagues," the man produced a ghost of smile.

" _Ah. Might I recommend getting your men below decks, wouldn't want to squash anyone."_

Deathly silence descended on all save the NERV Lieutenant Colonel and the German higher ups.

Misato raised an eyebrow, Langman blustered, and Scheer bellowed into a fleet wide channel, with Tsuruku doing something similar on his end.

" _All hands get below decks! Angle your A-T fields upwards, they are going to be taking_ _ **punishment**_ _."_

* * *

 _HMS Dominion_

"What if you miss?" Rei asked, understanding the action the was about to take.

"I won't." The Imperial pilot said with confidence, jamming his control sticks forward.

The Eva **jumped**.

"Oh mein gott..." Langman groaned watching billions worth of Marks be crushed and mangled by the Evangelion, as it hopped from ship to ship.

"We'll rebuild...we always do..." Scheer muttered reassuringly to himself. The High Seas fleet had been in far worse a shape after Dogger Bank, this was a trifle. At least, that's what the German Admiral kept telling himself as twenty of his ships buried themselves in the sea bed, and thousands of his men's bloated bodies floated in the water.

There was a nagging sensation at the back of his mind, that the Imperial would try and land on as many German warships as possible, but he needn't have worried. Unit 03 was making straight for the Seydlitz. What everyone really should have been worrying about, was another, far larger thing, accelerating towards Unit 02...

" _Hostile sighted! Marking it on your hud!"_ Misato barked. The Eva's visual sensors started flashing red, a targeting reticule fixing on a newly appeared geyser of water.

One which hurtled towards them at phenomenal speed.

"At last..." Asuka snarled, before barking "voice command, Asuka Zeppelin Soryu, deploy prog knife!"

As it did for all Evas, a compartment on Unit 02's back slid open, revealing a more refined and sharp blade than that of Unit 01's. Immediately grasping it, the redhead eagerly awaited her first true battle.

 _My big debut in the history books is here at last._

Shinji however, fixed his gaze on the geyser which approached them, already being bombarded by naval guns and fighter craft. He squinted a little, his forged by fire instincts telling him something wasn't right. The true threat, was one he could not see.

 _How much of it is beneath the waves...oh Spirits..._

The cessation of attack was not random.

The enemy had sensed them, realised what it was up against, and had taken that time to create a stratagem. Considering these weren't mindless animals as so many thought, it was not beyond reason the enemy had felt that an Eva was not designed to go for a dip.

"Soryu-san, how well could Unit 02 perform in water?" He said, nervously.

"Eh, not the best. Evangelions aren't designed for water-born combat. How is that important anyway, Thir-" She barely had time finish, when Shinji grasped the control sticks and yanked, causing Unit 02 to move to its left.

" **Get your hands off my Eva,** _ **scheissekopf**_!" Her fists descended upon his head with no restraint. Although the Countess could be reasonable at times, this was not something she'd negotiate on.

Then the reasoning for his actions became apparent. And Asuka stopped pummelling.

From the depths exploded a five hundred meter long leviathan, larger than any warship mankind possessed. It's jaws open, revealing row upon row of serrated teeth. Had Unit 02 remained in its original position, it would have been swallowed whole.

The freckled girl had no time to appreciate her comrade's wisdom on the matter however. Neither did Shinji. For at that moment, they were both screaming. Being taken by utter surprise on Asuka's part, and realisation the Seraph was so large it would brush them off the Carrier deck for the meek Japanese boy, was the cause.

And that was exactly what it did.

There was no time for flailing, no time for grabbing onto anything, the black behemoth was simply thrown into the sea, knife flying out of its hands, waves swiftly closing over it, leaving one of mankind's super weapons in the domain of a Seraph.

A few frantic calls had echoed over comms as all contact was cut, by the ocean and whatever strange energies the enemy generated. The last thing heard before the dreadful static consumed all, was the Imperial Pilot calling out Asuka's name. Then, the Japanese boy and German girl were alone.

* * *

 _ **Not quite how I planned...but it shall do.**_

Gaghiel had moved out of the enemy's visual and now circled his prey, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. After all, the foe was far from defeated at that point. Alas his jaws had not been able to close upon the _Evangelion_ and end the matter then and there. But it seemed...despite being a different colour and beast altogether, this foe was no stranger to combat.

 _ **Whoever rides that is no stranger to battle...could it be...**_

 _ **You suspect the rider to be he who sits astride the purple devil?**_ Haniel inquired, having a good idea of what the answer would be.

 _ **I do not suspect, Fist, I know. Only one who has faced our kind before would behave with such caution...**_ The Admiral whom had never lost a battle, whom destroyed the entire Taylus fleet with merely a tenth of the number, continued to circle his foe which flailed around uselessly as it sank like a stone.

 _ **Such an ignominious end...forgive me Knight of NERV. Take my share of the mead when you reach the halls of the Gods.**_

* * *

"Just let go, I know what I'm doing!" Asuka snarled, finally wrenching the control sticks out of her colleagues stiff with fear hands. His complexion had paled, not quite on the cusp of shaking, but certainly afraid. His cerulean eyes scanned the area around them, detecting nothing.

" **Damn!** " He punched the wall of the plug in frustration, breathing heavily. His action took even the fiery redhead aback, who had not expected such a thing from the timid young man.

"I'm sorry, Soryu-san there's nothing I can do..." Shinji's body became semi-limp, his tone utterly defeated.

She shook her head.

"Oh honestly we've just gone for a swim, Third. Besides, Hauptmann Asuka Zeppelin Soryu doesn't need protecting!" With a quick movement of the sticks, Unit 02 balanced itself perfectly, flashes of orange lightening stopping its decent dead in its tracks. The redhead would have laughed at how his jaw dropped, were the situation not so severe. However she still managed a smug look.

"How did you do that?" The brown haired boy said, stumped.

"Simple, A-T fields can be used to push and pull matter. I did stuff like that in training, the _Innenministerium_ wanted to find a peacetime use for Unit 02. I figured the same would work for water."

"So...that's never been done before?" He said, legitimately impressed.

"Jah. You've stood witness to history, Third. Now..." Her expression hardened, her sapphire gaze analysing the surrounding blueness of the pacific ocean.

"Let's go fishing."

* * *

"Nothing?" Misato said forlornly at the radio operator.

"Nothing, ma'am. Just static." He leaned back in his seat, frowning.

 _That's not just the water, that thing must be doing something..._

" _Keep your voice down."_ Stewart commanded quietly, giving a quick nod at the now stationary Unit 03, which stood upon the flight deck and looked down into the blue abyss.

* * *

Rei watched the Imperial officer, so full of bravado and confidence a few minutes before, become silent as the grave. His lip occasionally quivered, as if he couldn't decide between screaming or crying. Again, the albino found herself bearing witness to humanity and its strange desire to hide its true self.

 _These walls which enclose them...cage them...they must be set free. It is the inner desire of all_

No amount of training could ever have prepared him for this moment. Indeed, his experience with life proved far more invaluable than what they'd taught him at Sandhurst. The possibility of losing someone again...

 _We do not bow, we endure and conquer. That is the Empire's way._

Pushing aside thoughts of his best friend being devoured alive by the monstrosity beneath the waves, and the various brave men and women of the Imperial navy whose tomb would now be a corner of the earth far from the homeland, he focused on the task at hand.

 _For the honour of the dead, and the future of the living, I'll have your life,_ _ **Seraph**_

"Are you sure you've found nothing?" He barked.

" _Not even a whisper, Major. We'll keep looking."_ Stewart responded from the bridge of the Dominion, his own staff darting back and forth.

"See to it that you're successful." The young aristocrat snapped, bowing his head.

"I've got the power to rend the world in half, yet I am stuck here." He snarled, then looked at Rei.

"Any suggestions would be helpful, _Plank_."

"I have none." She said honestly.

"Fat load of good you are..." His gloved hands gripped the control sticks as he fought to control his rage.

"Forgive me, that was rather rude. It isn't like it's your fault after all." He offered apologetically.

 _A plank you may be, but that's no reason for me to be rude_

"I would desire a solution to present itself, as Ikari is down there." Rei said nonchalantly but truthfully. Although in far better control of her emotions, owing to not quite feeling them as well as we do, the _unnatural-born_ human did understand the Imperial Major's position. Clearly Soryu meant a great deal to him, as Ikari did for her.

"How close are you two?" Samuel asked, needing something to take his mind off the current situation.

"He showed me kindness and care, although he had no reason or need to. I wish to reciprocate such things."

The blonde boy tapped a control stick with his finger, a cheeky grin flickering into existence.

"Romantic I presume?"

The albino's eyebrows furrowed slightly, her lip microscopically twitching.

"No, **not in the slightest**. I do wish people would stop inferring that."

"Adorable. Perhaps you aren't a total brick wall after all..." He laughed, before seeing one of the flight deck lifts bring up a VTOL.

"What is this? A coward fleeing the field...ugh, as is to be expected of Barbarians..."

* * *

 _Bridge_

The inactive _Meer Wulf_ , made Misato's purple eyebrows furrow.

"Who is that?"

"Agent Kaji requested the use of it. He is to transport a priority one cargo to NERV Central." Langman responded crisply.

NERV's combat operations director took a deep breath, nodding in acceptance. It was all she could do.

 _Damn coward_

"Tell him to get away as fast he can. I want that flight deck completely empty." She unintentionally snarled.

"U...Understood, ma'am."

Half a minute later, the four engined aircraft roared away from the battle ground, it's _VIP_ occupant having a guilt stricken expression. For although many judged men such as him harshly, it should be emphasized Ryoji Kaji was no coward. Not in the slightest.

He was tempted to make his way to the cockpit, turn around, and see if he could be any help. But he had a job to do, as loathe as he was to accomplishing it in the name of his own personal agenda. And with knowledge of Unit 02's current predicament, and of a girl who'd brought a good deal of light and humour into his life, his situation worsened with each passing second.

* * *

 _ **The time has come Vooren**_ From the blueness, Gaghiel emerged with almost impossible speed, its mouth an all devouring maw. It was on them in a heartbeat, no ordinary person could have responded in time to such an assault.

Unfortunately for the ancient Admiral, Asuka and Shinji were not _ordinary_ people.

"Oh no you don't!" She snarled, flinging the Eva's arms and legs out, meeting the closing mouth and pushing the rest of her energy into the maintaining of her A-T field and strength. Pushed through the water at an insane rate, the redhead gritted her teeth and refused to yield, despite the burning sensation in her muscles. Then suddenly, the crackling on the radio abated. Voices were heard chattering to one another now, for due to the mingling of their A-T fields the Seraph could no longer block out comms.

"Hey, can anyone hear us!" Shinji yelled, hoping against all hope.

" _Shinji-kun! Thank goodness..."_ Misato said, relieved, then regained control of herself.

" _Status report."_

"The enemy is trying to **eat us**! Some help would be appreciated." Asuka hissed, feeling the strength of ages bear down on her limbs, only just being able to resist it.

" _Understood, we're working on it!"_ Misato nodded, turning to face the command staff of the Seydlitz.

"Are we tracking them?" She said urgently.

"Not just them ma'am, we've got the Seraph's location as well." The sonar operator nodded.

 _Damn good._

" _We've got you on our sensors. Have you located the Seraph's S2 core?"_ The purplehead called back to Unit 02.

" **I'm a bit busy at the moment!** " Asuka roared, with even Shinji having to grab the control sticks, as if adding his own strength to their struggle. However, as he was not so engaged in _not being eaten,_ his cerulean eyes squinted into the blackness of his foe's mouth...and noticed a red glow.

"Target sighted, Lieutenant Colonel. Direct visual through its mouth." He barked in a surprisingly professional tone.

" _Good work you two, keep at it."_ Misato smiled, running through multiple strategies in her head.

 _They've got its mouth open...we can get that core...just need a way to destroy it._

"Okay...have we got any submarines?"

A deathly silence fell upon the bridge, as the various officers and Admirals looked at each other hopelessly.

"Come on, we've got to have some!?"

Scheer sighed.

"We might just, Miss Katsuragi. Get me a connection to our shadow." He commanded.

"Connection established Admiral." His radio operator obeyed.

The bewhiskered German marched over to the comms and spoke into an offered mouthpiece.

"Shadow?" Misato tilted her head.

Scheer began speaking in Russian of all things. Fortunately, NERV personnel were trained to speak multiple languages, so the purplehead could understand.

"This Admiral Franz Scheer of His Majesty Kaiser Rudolf Von Hohenzollern's High Seas Fleet. I am addressing the Captain of the Russian submarine which has been trailing us from Hamburg. We need your help."

There was no response for a few moments.

"Captain...I know you can hear me."

A few seconds later, a response most telling came through.

" _Chyort...what can we do for you, comrade Scheer?"_

There was some chuckling across the bridge.

"Thank you. If you could get that Chinese sub in touch as well, we'd be much obliged." The Admiral said, gratefully.

" _Understood."_

No one noticed the sudden twitching of Tsuruku's lip and Misato's scowl at the mention of "Chinese."

"Now then, Lieutenant Colonel-" Scheer folded his arms as he looked at the NERV Operative.

"What is your plan?"

* * *

" **Make that connection damn it!** " Samuel roared.

 _"We're doing our best, sir, give us a few more-"_ The Imperial switched his comms off.

"Well...this is water tight. I think we'd manage...no, no..." He pondered aloud.

"You are considering whether or not to provide assistance to Pilot Soryu." Rei stated. He fidgeted for a moment.

"Yes." Samuel murmured.

Even someone as socially inept as the albino could tell this boy was clearly concerned for his comrade. His expression upon remaking of radio contact being one of absolute joy, swiftly turning to anxiety due to the noises of the ongoing battle. He wanted to help. So why did he not?

"What is it that holds you back?" She pressed on.

Samuel sighed with annoyance.

"I have a duty to the Empire, to Britain. This is His Majesty's equipment, I must take as much care of it as possible. And throwing it into a scenario for which it was not designed, would be irresponsible on my part." His face became as solid as stone.

 _My allegiance is to the home islands and he who sits upon its throne. No matter how much it breaks my heart...I must obey...I must..._

"Besides, I haven't even received orders on the matter." He dismissed her with the wave of his hand.

"So would I be correct in assuming that equipment matters more to you than your friend?" Rei said.

He looked back at her, eyes widened in shock and fury, as if his honour had been slighted by the mere suggestion. The young aristocrat appeared to be on the verge of barking some more Imperial doctrine at her, until the blue haired girl interrupted him.

"You may think me soulless, but if I sat where you are, I wouldn't hesitate."

 _It is as Ikari said...sometimes one shouldn't do as told by another._

The Imperial's expression softened for a moment, as his brain went through goodness knows how many different thoughts and feelings in an attempt to come to a conclusion. Then his jaw set, his eyes focusing forward.

"Marshal Stewart. Do relay to His Majesty that I apologize for any rust." He said respectfully over the radio, then barked out a command.

"Voice command, Samuel Meadow. Deploy prog blade."

His own back compartment opened up, a white painted hand swiftly grabbing hold of the extended hilt, pulling out not a knife, but something akin to an eighty metre long naval cutlass.

" _Major Meadow you will stay where you are-"_ Stewart barked.

"I can hardly let barbarians take what is the Empire's glory by right." Samuel cut the conversation off.

"Ready for a dip Ayanami?" He grinned slightly.

"I take no issue with it." Rei tightened her grip around his seat.

"Well...hold tight."

The Imperial god machine plunged into the sea.

* * *

 _Bridge_

Stewart's hologram twitched in aggravation at such a blatant disregard of authority. To be sure, the Empire did deserve whatever glory it could grasp with its own hands, but this insubordination was unacceptable, and quite out of character for the Major. Not to mention, if things went sour he had **no** intention of reporting this to the High Field Marshal. He knew his head may end up on a silver platter if that boy came to harm.

 _Brash, arrogant, and probably won't listen to a word we say...the Commander is just going to_ _ **love**_ _this..._ Misato's subconscious chuckled, the rest of her body remaining rigid and professional.

She'd explained the plan, gaining a few raised eyebrows but with everyone ultimately concluding it was the best they had. With Unit 02 holding the Seraph's mouth open, a Submarine would launch torpedoes into the vast blackness, destroy the core, and therefore the enemy. Granted, she had cause for lifting her spirits, as now with two Evas in combat their chances had doubled. It was just infuriating the enemy had attacked them out here. If it had hauled its ugly arse onto land, they could have pulverised it into a bloody paste with four Evangelions.

 _Enough power to rip the planet in half._

But there was still a problem.

And that problem was a Chinese Type 96 S2 submarine which had been shadowing the fleet for hundreds of miles, likely linking up and maintaining radio contact with the Russians. The fact they, the children of Japan, would have to look to the old enemy for help, sickened the purplehead and every soul of the JSN Pacific Fleet to their core. Even Tsuruku, an old soldier, found it difficult to contain himself on the matter, having fought the _Tokuajin_ at Hoyo straight all those years ago. Where this a different situation, he'd have given the order to depth charge the bastards for coming into Japanese waters.

Alas, the heavens had decided to be frustrating today.

Misato however, had a good deal less restraint on the matter. Bringing herself over to Scheer, who was discussing strategy with the other Admirals, she quietly coughed to gain their attention.

"Admiral...surely the Russian sub will be enough? I mean...the Chinese are hardly the best navy out there, so perhaps we don't need them-" She was cut off by Stewart raising his hand.

"If you want to live through this Barbarian, then you better _just deal with it_." His lips curled into a small, satisfied, smirk as she fumed at her own words being turned against her. Ironically if it had been a Submarine of the Federal Guard Fleet, then it would have been a **very** different matter for the Imperial Sea Marshal. Of course he would say what the Federation did to the home islands was far worse than whatever the Chinese did to Japan.

Such is the narrow mindedness of mankind.

"Lieutenant Colonel as much as I understand your reservations on the matter, and the Prime Minister will be having words with President Cao Xu as to why a Communist vessel is in our waters, the situation is desperate. We must take what we can, where we can." Tsuruku managed to control his own personal disgust on the matter, and put Japan's survival first.

Misato nodded with reluctance, yielding to the old man's wisdom.

"Changzeng 40 and K76 are moving into position and awaiting orders." A Lieutenant relayed, something akin to disbelief in his eyes.

 _This is actually happening. The Empire and the Communists are helping us. Gott Verdammt what was in my drink last night?_

Satisfied with this, the purplehead made her way back over to the radio.

"Alright, listen up Pilots. We've got a plan. It's kind of insane and kind of brilliant because I came up with it, but it's the best we have. I need you to get the enemy to these coordinates..."

* * *

 _One hundred feet beneath the waves, Changzeng 40_

"Are the tubes loaded?" He barked.

" _Shi di xiansheng_!" Was the response. As was to be expected from the crew of this old warhorse, who'd slipped away in the dead of night as the Japanese retook one of their harbours at the end of the Pacific war.

Each of these men had served in the People's Liberation Navy for nearly fifteen years, hence why they and they alone were assigned to follow the vast fleet sailing through their waters. Cao Xu was a shrewd man, and hated not knowing what others were doing. That was the purpose of their mission, shadow the flotilla and glean whatever information they could on the foreign Evangelion Units.

Now it turned out their "prey" had simply been toying with them, knowing they were being trailed for days on end.

 _Glad I'm not explaining this to the President..._

That enviable role would belong to the unfortunate Admiral Tian Zhu, whom would be lucky to only lose his job. For the President did not tolerate failure or overblown promises, and it had been the Admiral who'd proposed the shadowing of the vast battle group in the first place.

 _Swiftly and silently we shall watch them_ was what he'd said.

Now the People's Liberation Navy had been humiliated again.

Captain Cai Dishi unclasped the hands held behind his back to massage his eyes, while his crew, his trusted family, ran around hi, carrying out their tasks. He was proud of them, his semi-cold exterior being a part of his personality, and his men knew this. As awkward as he could be, they knew he'd die for any one of them. And they would for him.

 _I do hope Unit 06's delivery will not be as farcical as this..._

He didn't put much stock in the strange god machines called "Evangelions", nor the mentally unhinged children who piloted them. His trust, as it always was, lay entirely with the men he fought and bled with. Yet as he quietly beheld his own "children" running around, the Captain felt his unyielding sense of responsibility eat away at his soul.

 _Almost every one of these men has a family...I must return them safely..._

"Enemy will be closing shortly!" His warrant officer relayed.

All looked to their Captain in this moment, his form remaining totally calm, for they completely trusted him. This man who had taken them through hell and back, from day one of the invasion of Japan, to all the unregistered skirmishes between the PLN and the JSN to this day. He was their Captain, and they awaited his orders.

"Stand ready comrades. For Asia we shall bleed, for the ancestral land shall we die." Tidal waves of approving roars shook their "metal coffin" causing Dishi to smile in satisfaction.

" _Qi lai_!" He punched his fist in the air, the cry of the Chinese nation being repeated again and again.

" _ **Qi lai! Qi lai! Qi lai!**_ "

* * *

"Come on...come on...just do as your told..." Asuka growled, trying to wrestle the eldritch abomination. Misato's commands had been simple, get the enemy into a specific set of coordinates so a submarine group that shouldn't have been there in the first place could blow it to pieces. Although getting the Seraph to do as directed was proving something of a hassle.

"You going to help, Third?" She growled at her compatriot.

"I'm trying!" Shinji said desperately, despite his low connection with this Unit even he was feeling the strain on his muscles. A little part of his brain was thinking of how strong this girl must be, and how much he wasn't looking forward to these "combat simulations." If he got out of this alive.

" **Well you're not trying hard enough**." Asuka snarled, slowly pulling the 7th Seraph's jaw into the direction required. Even more effort would have been needed to prevent the enemy from correcting itself, but because Gaghiel was so focused on crushing this Vooren machine in particular, he failed notice, in a most uncharacteristic manner.

 _ **Just let me devour you!**_ He metaphorically bellowed, his own jaw muscles straining with the Eva's limbs. This struggle was pointless on the foe's part, all it did was give it perhaps a few more minutes of life at best. Surely it would be better to get it over with?

The Seraph was too strong, it had been clear from the outset. Granted they were putting up a good fight, but it wouldn't be enough. From within the plug, Shinji could already see those black arms sagging beneath the tremendous weight of the enemy's mouth. Asuka didn't appear to understand this however. Defeat wasn't a word in her vocabulary, as she raged against the might of a foe more ancient than she could possibly imagine.

He was awed by her, truly awed. Not once in his life had Shinji seen such reckless and fearless courage, not even from Rei or the tank crew he'd met in the previous month. This girl was fully aware of her feelings, yet she refused to allow fear to corrupt her common sense. Unfortunately her anger appeared to do that, but at least there was no possibility of her "freezing up." If she could keep her fear under control, then so could he.

Doing as he was taught, letting his mind quiet and reach for that deep warmth, Shinji felt the feeling slowly grow within him. He hadn't tried this before, as the redhead had made it very clear this was **her** Eva and he was not to meddle with it in any way. However, the situation demanded he take action.

What he felt upon fully contacting the Eva, was not a loving warmth like it was in his Unit 01, but biting cold, hostile in its intensity. But now he felt the true weight of the Seraph bearing down on him, and he was surprised his arms didn't snap off. Dutifully, his fingers removed themselves from the seat, and wrapped around the control sticks, pushing with all his might.

The German and Japanese children had now effectively joined their strength against their terrible foe.

Asuka was aware of this, and whilst a little part of her screamed in fury at this upstart having the audacity to establish a Pilot Link with her Evangelion, she understood the necessity of it. Mankind's future was on the line. She'd have to nurture her pride another time.

Still, the Seraph could not be controlled or directed. Though it was having immense trouble devouring this "morsel", it was in control.

 _If I get out of this I'm sticking with aircraft in future. And if I don't...at least I'm not alone..._ Unnoticed by Asuka, Shinji gave her a semi-grateful look, one of appreciation for her simply being there. The idea of having company, not having to face the oblivion of death by himself, was comforting.

Then that shivering cold within his soul suddenly became a rush of titanic power, strength bubbling and coursing through the two children's veins.

Unit 02's four eyes lit up the gloom of the sea.

* * *

Unit 03 slowly sank into the blue abyss, occasional flashes of lightening, a trick learned from a friend, slowing its decent until a certain depth where it remained motionless, save for the swivelling of the headpiece and its single, solitary eye.

Katsuragi's orders had come through well enough despite some interferences from the various A-T fields bouncing off one another. The problem was, finding the enemy to begin with. For due to how very complex the Evangelions were, and how cramped their cockpits could be, no on-board radar or sonar was available, much to Samuel's chagrin.

"Asuka I'm in the water, where are you?" He barked, scanning the area with his electric blue eyes.

It would have been hard enough to see through the deep blue to begin with, but now he had to deal with all the disturbed sea bed sediment that had clogged the ocean up. Even Rei, whose vision was superior to that of an ordinary human, found herself squinting.

 _This is not an ideal position to be in_

The enemy could be a hundred feet in front of him, and he wouldn't know it was there, were it not for the tracking of the beast being relayed to him by the Seydlitz's bridge. As much as it grieved him to have control of the operation handed over to barbarians, even he understood the necessity of centralizing command.

Unable to find anything with the naked eye, Rei allowed her mind to pry at Samuel's, _ripples in the water_ as usual. What she could feel, was a surprising amount of fear and anticipation centred around what response he'd get from the crackling static.

Eventually, his patience was rewarded, in a way.

" _Incoming!"_ The broken response provoked a sigh of relief from Samuel, the stress vanishing from his mind.

 _Alive and well...wait...what does she mean by incoming?_ So focused on the predicament of his old friend, he'd failed to notice the red blip on his hud barrelling towards his location.

Rei's features froze as her eyes locked on to something.

"I have sighted the enemy." She stated.

"Have you? Where?" He lifted his head from thought, relieved but still spoiling for a fight. Still itching to prove the Empire's professionalism and superiority.

"To our right..." Her grip around his seat tightened further.

"To our...ah."

Gaghiel, utterly distracted by his ongoing effort to devour Unit 02, slammed into them.

Bouncing and rolling along the Seraph's side, whose A-T field had been fortunately neutralised by its struggle with the German Evangelion, Samuel only just managed to find a grip on the enemy's tail, despite being disorientated after bashing his had quite hard against his seat. Had he taken a few seconds longer, the Imperial god machine would now be spiralling off into the depths.

"Bloody...women...drivers...could have killed me..." He grimaced as with one hand he held on for dear life, even as the forces of nature sought to rip him off. Whilst still clinging to his progressive blade, he curled the hand around another flap of Gaghiel's skin, slowly but surely he clawing his way up the Seraph's back.

" _I can hear you, dummkopf!"_ Asuka roared from the other end.

"My point still stands!" He snapped back.

" _Are any of you taking this seriously?"_ Shinji shrieked hopelessly.

"...I would agree with Ikari, concentrating on the situation at hand would be for the best..." Rei said before the Imperial cut her off through gritted teeth.

" **I am concentrating, plank.** "

* * *

"Those two sound like they're getting along famously..." Asuka chuckled, despite the pain in her arms.

Shinji curled his lips into a smile, well imagining how his strange, blunt, and stoic friend would clash with the brash and bombastic aristocrat.

The mood had lifted by no small amount upon Unit 03's entering of the fray. A true fight, an equal fight, was now on their hands. The likelihood of them all walking away from this had just doubled. If that wasn't cause for some jubilation, then he didn't know what was.

"What's Meadow-san's plan then?" He inquired.

"Oh probably something insane..." She shook her head.

* * *

"You intend to climb the Seraph's back and, I quote, _cut its bloody spine in half_?" Rei held on to the Pilot's sear in a manner akin to "grim death."

"Basically." Samuel shot back, slowly but surely managing to pull his way up the Seraph's vast back.

"That is...rather straight forward."

"The best plans usually are!"

"But I thought the plan was to force the enemy-"

"And we're sticking to that plan, I'm just going to make sure it's mouth stays open." He growled as he went through the equivalent of holding onto latex in a wind tunnel.

The Seraph attempted to shake him off, said attempts being hindered by Unit 02's grasp on its mouth. The original decision to end this fight quickly, had backfired upon the ancient Sea Lord. So focused on correcting this situation by either crushing or swallowing his foe, Gaghiel did not notice the two black cylindrical shapes in the distance, whose lethal payload of torpedoes were primed, ready to fire, and pointed at **him**.

" _Alright this is it...get ready to detach."_ Misato commanded.

" _Jawohl_!" Asuka gritted her teeth, the seconds towards the submarine's attack tickin ever closer. The Third got the message as well, and appeared to be doing the same thing.

 _Kept his cool and seems to know what he's doing. Perhaps he isn't a total dummkopf after all_

Then from within the blackness of the Seraph's maw, a light began to grow. One which Shinji was all too familiar with.

"Oh Spirits..." He whispered.

Gaghiel had grown impatient.

"What, Third?" Asuka snapped back, seeing his face be frozen with fear. Memories of that terrible moment when the 6th Seraph had ripped through his A-T field, armour, and soul, coursed through his mind like wild fire. And that was from a mile away. At point blank range, they stood no chance, not with their A-T field clashing and retreating against the Seraph's, in a constant dance of orange lightening.

The light in its mouth became almost blinding.

"Oh _schiesse_..."

And then it vanished, to be replaced by a faint scream of agony, diluted by the ocean itself.

" _ **God's grace be with us always!**_ _"_ Samuel roared over the comms, jamming his blade deep into Gaghiel's back, cold steel sinking through skin, muscle, and bone.

"Took you long enough..." Asuka muttered with slight relief, her lips curling into a small smile. One that indicated she wasn't surprised at all by his action.

Shinji's expression remained one of fear, even as the immediate danger of being vaporised vanished. But despite being afraid, he remained focused on the task at hand. Like the soldier he was.

It had been interesting to behold the enraged Major somehow climb the back of the speeding Seraph, muttering "bastard", "bloody stupid thing", and "twat" constantly, Rei mused. She'd never seen such concentrated rage and indignation before in her short life. His plan had worked though, the enemy was in immense pain and howling for all it was worth, Unit 02's arms immediately being released from the pressure of the Seraph's mighty jaws.

The timer for the attack went off.

" _Detach now! Get out of there!"_ Misato barked.

Whilst the commands of " _Strelyat_!" and " _Sheji_!" were barked onboard the communist submarines, Asuka and Shinji yanked the control sticks back and threw themselves out of the Seraph's trajectory, bouncing and banging along its side as it barrelled past them, so pre-occupied with its pain. Meanwhile, Samuel unsheathed his prog blade from Gaghiel's flesh and let the ocean's current do all his work for him.

Four torpedoes had already been fired, the K76 and Changzeng 40 swiftly diving as fast as they could to get out of the enemy's way. Which was a wise move, as the Seraph showed no sign of slowing down.

 _ **Gaghiel to your front!**_ The voice of the Fist shook his head, but it was too late.

The torpedoes buried themselves into his throat, whilst the Evangelion's silhouettes were already disappearing into the blackness, and the two cylinders which had administered his death were diving far beneath him.

 _ **My...Heir...**_

 _ **Ah...I see. Do apologize to my family for me will you?**_ Gaghiel gently responded, closing his eyes. There was no point in resisting death, the Gods ordained that it was his time and the Heir would accept their judgement.

 _ **A victory well earned, Vooren. It seems it must be I who saves you some mead...**_

The six metre long warheads detonated, and the formerly invincible Admiral was ripped into bloody shreds, his core smashed and shattered, his vital fluids turning the sea a sickly shade of royal blue.

* * *

The geyser of divine blood and froth exploding from the sea, a roar of triumph rippling through the crew of the Seydlitz, and indeed across the entire fleet, with ship horns blasting away in jubilation. Misato was not one of them however, her brown gaze being fixed on the ocean before her.

 _Come on...come on..._

Two armoured titans exploded forth from the blanket of water and landed perfectly on the German Carrier's flight deck in kneeling positions. This provoked a round of applause from the various officers on the bridge, and a relieved sigh from her.

After giving the order to inform the recently arrived Susanoos that the situation was in hand and they could turn back, Scheer turned to face his odd guest.

"Very well done, Lieutenant Colonel. It's good to know NERV has some soldiers among its ranks." He removed his cap and mopped his brow with his hand. The woman in front of him had pulled off a victory in the face of total defeat, whilst he could only save a few ships in a similar situation some twelve years ago on a cold December morning.

" _Perhaps."_ Stewart said derisively, despite even himself being taken aback by the competence of this strange woman.

 _Dresses like a prostitute of the Old Kingdom, yet has the capability of a General? What a bizarre age we all live in..._

" _That was an...interesting strategy you concocted. I wonder, how did you arrive at that being our best bet?"_ Tsuruku inquired, as a military man he was of course interested in understanding another commander's thoughts.

"I thought about what we had, and made the best of it..." She leaned against a metal wall, smiling in amusement at herself.

"That wasn't even the first thing which came to mind. My original plan was to sink two battleships in synchronisation with each other, then fire their turrets into the Seraph's mouth whilst the Evas held it open." Her smile broadened at some sharp intakes of breath and looks of bewilderment.

" _Oh what nonsense-"_ Stewart was loudly saying, as if he couldn't quite wrap his head around what he'd just heard.

"I think that'll be all today my friends. Full steam to Togo Harbour." Scheer chuckled slightly as the holographic connections were cut.

"I would list off all the ways that wouldn't work, but I feel you'd just ignore me." He clasped his hands behind his back.

Misato chuckled at that, then looked back out at the flight deck, and the two kneeling Evas.

"If you'll excuse me, Admiral, I've got my own troops to attend to..."

* * *

Leaving the entry plug was a simple matter, the top section having electronically slid open automatically as soon as the plug was retracted.

Of course as it was his Eva, Samuel had got out first. With both Units 02 and 03 having assumed a lying down position on their sides, there was only a short space between the ground and the plug, allowing him to jump down, landing with a thud as his boots touched the deck.

 _Imperial honour has not been lost nor slighted, I can sleep well tonight._

Looking back, he could see Rei slowly removing herself from the plug, quickly flashing a glance at Unit 02 to see if any serious damage had been done. Satisfied it was relatively unharmed, meaning Ikari was unharmed, she turned her gaze downwards to see a gloved hand extended for her to take.

"Madame." Samuel said politely with his head bowed.

She of course pondered why such an action was necessary, considering she could get down with ease, and the slight enmity the Imperial felt for her. But of course, she was not familiar with the etiquette and manners of the Empire's aristocracy. How a _lady_ is to be treated with the utmost respect and courtesy. This being expected of any male member of the nobility.

She took the offered hand and found getting down to be a good deal easier. For the albino felt that if she hadn't, then he might have been offended. This being something she didn't want to do to anyone.

Shinji on the other hand, had landed face first on the deck after being booted out of Unit 02's plug by its redheaded mistress. Asuka landed on her own feet quite perfectly, then stretched out her arms and forced her bones to click into place. Casting her sapphire gaze upon the wimpy boy slowly rising to his feet, she put her hands on her hips and grinned.

"Could be better, but not bad, Third. Perhaps you do have a chance of keeping up with me..." She smirked.

He laughed, taking in this fearless freckled girl who'd proven herself to be more of a man than he felt he could ever hope to be.

 _She's better than me. That's just a fact_

"I highly doubt that, Soryu-san." He quietly laughed.


	31. 7:5 All ashore

_8:45am, Monday the 18th of July, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, Sengokuhara High_

"Why don't you use honorifics, Ayanami-san?" Shinji said as the two walked through the corridors of their school.

After the incident with the 7th Seraph, the weekend had been a welcome and relaxing reprieve from the stress of fighting this war. He himself had spent it by socialising with Rei, Toji, and Kensuke, whilst back at Misato's apartment he'd been really absorbed by Channel Ghibli.

He'd never considered this question before, so wrapped up in his own issues and social anxieties he didn't notice how different Rei spoke. This being highlighted by his encounter with his western colleagues last week, and how differently they spoke. It was entirely understandable Japanese, but they never bothered with honorifics. The strange girl who he cared for was not of foreign origin, she was raised in Japan, yet she had never once used them. Considering what a social disaster it was to use the wrong honorific in Japanese culture, the last thing he wanted was something else isolating her from society.

Her expression remained deadpan, save for the slight knitting together of her eyebrows, and fiddling with the strap of her bag. After knowing her for over a month, Shinji could tell this was her body language for "thinking."

"I am unfamiliar with them. The commander deems such things irrelevant." She mused.

"I see..." He fought back grinding his teeth.

 _Father...what is this? Why have you kept her so alone? Why haven't you even taught her standard manners? Maybe you throwing me away wasn't so bad after all..._

"I presume he may be mistaken?" Rei offered, but not with belief in her words. She merely anticipated what her progenitor's child was thinking. He awkwardly nodded.

"Maybe. I...I'm not the best at being social and all that, but I can tell you a little bit." He offered.

"Elaborate."

"Alright...honorifics designate your relationship with and how you view other people. For example, _san_ , is the basic term of respect that everyone uses. Hell, it's the only one I feel safe with." He chuckled slightly before continuing, having Rei's total attention.

" _Sama_ is one of the most respectful ones out there. You call a person that when they're either socially superior to you by a big deal, or you really respect them. But don't use that one too much. _Kun_ is occasionally used for girls, but it's much more for boys. It's kind of a term of endearment. Then there's _chan_ , which is basically _kun_ for girls, or can be used between lovers and such. There's also _Sempai_ and _Kouhai_ , but I don't really use or care about them. I can ask the class rep to explain some more if you want?"

"Perhaps...but why are they important?" She was still confused.

"Because not using them is either a sign of closeness or total disrespect. Most of the time it's the biggest social faux-pa anyone can make." He added.

The First Child spent the rest of the journey being very quiet, slowly processing this new information. But just as they were reaching the classroom door, it appeared something clicked in her head.

"This knowledge may be useful, I shall implement it." She nodded slightly

Not knowing what to say, Shinji held the door open for her, only to be shocked as she stopped halfway through and looked him in the eye.

"Thank you...Ikari-kun." She said in that beautiful whisper.

His brain broke.

 _Shit shit shit shit, what do we say!?_

 _I don't fucking know!_

 _Well think of something fast before she walks off!_

"Oh...you're welcome...Ayanami-chan..." He said, nervously.

Both of their cheeks had reddened by the time they took their seats.

* * *

As usual, the students sat at their desks, with Mr Sisata by his computer, no doubt preparing for the lesson to come.

It was strange how the class had felt so empty not so long ago, with the various students usually huddling around one or two areas. Leaving Shinji and Rei all by themselves. But, owing to the recent birth of his friendship with Kensuke and Toji, they sat directly behind him, and after some negotiation with the class rep, Rei now positioned herself to his left side.

In short, they now had their own little social group. And despite having very little interaction with the rest of his species for so long, even developing an almost pathological fear of engaging people he didn't know in conversation...Shinji took little issue with this arrangement.

In fact he was still getting over people **wanting** to sit next to him.

"Hey Shinji-san, how are you holding up?" Toji said boisterously, Kensuke giving a quick nod in his direction as well.

"Not bad, I'm still pretty sure I won't be going on a boat again..." He smiled.

As bad as the airsickness on the journey back had been, along with the constant bragging of his new western colleagues, he found himself more afraid of being out at sea or on a big boat. At least he got home quicker.

Misato had been evidently relieved to see them all well as per usual, but something was still a little off about her, in a similar manner to her grumblings back on the escalator.

 _That Kaji must really get under her skin..._

"Oh come on, it was so cool to see all those fleets in one area. There must have been about a hundred and fifty ships altogether." Kensuke said giddily to himself, the sheer breath taking spectacle of seeing the vast battle group from on high as they sped away, being one of the greatest moments of his life.

"Well yes it was, but I'm with Shinji-san on that. I'm not getting back in one of those metal crates." Toji added.

Setting down all his things, neatly ordering his pencils, pens, paper, and rulers on the sides of his keyboard and mouse, Shinji quietly took his seat with Rei doing something similar.

"Sakura's still talking about you. I think she's got a crush." The jock chuckled, his sandy brown haired friend joining him.

"Casanova Shinji-san, stealing the hearts of girls everywhere." Kensuke said over dramatically, gaining a raised eyebrow and humoured smile from Shinji.

"Shut up, Kensuke-san."

* * *

 _2:00pm, Saturday the 16th of July, Tokyo-3 central hospital_

Modern medicine was truly miraculous. Disease was not as much of a problem as it used to be, with HIV, Cancer and the like being almost extinct. Huge leaps were being made with mental health as well, many professionals outright believing that dementia would be a thing of the past by 2025.

And yet no medicine could fix the ruins of a young girl's legs.

Whilst his fellow student fidgeted with impatience as the left went up, Shinji remained nervously at the back, hands in his pockets, fringe covering his eyes. He wasn't truly nervous, like he was when climbing into an Eva or that first visit to Rei's apartment. But his steps felt heavier than they ever did before, due to the sheer avalanche of guilt crashing down on him.

 _She wants to see me...this person whose life I destroyed._

"Sakura doesn't like emo shit, so cut it out." Toji said irritably, giving him a quick warning look.

"Maybe you shouldn't have brought me then." The elder boy shuffled uncomfortably.

"What my little sister wants, she gets. Now back straight, I've told you she doesn't blame you."

"But I broke her spine!"

"Well maybe if NERV had given you some proper training, then that wouldn't have happened. But it did. It's like Horaki-san said, crying about it isn't going to make it better."

The sound of the lift beeping as it reached its destination cut them off. As uncomfortable as he was, Shinji complied with his friend's wishes and straightened up, removing his hands from his pockets. After all, he was rather good at following orders.

The hospital corridor was spotless, but as natural sunlight washed over them, he found himself preferring this place a great deal compared to the harsh and totally utilitarian nature of the NERV medical ward. A place he'd been one too many times.

Toji himself was not overly fond of hospitals, more than a few bad memories originating from this place in particular. It had been in one of these corridors where he'd sat and prayed as Sakura was rushed into the operating theatre an inch from death. He'd held her hand when they administered the anaesthetic, as she cried and cried in pain, the mangled remains of her legs causing his gorge to rise, and his own tears flow.

But for once in his life, Amaterasu looked down upon him and took pity. For the operation was a success. Granted there were more weeks to come of tubes being constantly inserted in her, but Japanese technological prowess saved his little sister.

 _Shame father hasn't shown up once..._

Eventually they arrived at a room marked 400. Toji pushed the door open quietly just in case she was asleep, with Shinji hanging back, feeling he had no right to intrude. But the black haired twelve year old was very much awake, her expression brightening upon seeing her elder brother.

"Toji-baka!" The girl squealed in delight as the boy in question bolted over to her and wrapped his arms around her delicate frame.

"Sakura..." He whispered fondly, stroking his little sister's hair.

"I heard about what happened with the fleet, are you alright?" She said, worried.

The jock laughed at that.

"I'm fine, I've just gone off sea travel for a while. I clearly don't have my sea legs-" He winced as her expression tightened a little upon the mention of _legs_.

"I'm sorry, Sakura that was..."

"It's nothing big brother, really!" She smiled, before, in attempt to take the conversation in a different direction, she noted the quiet boy standing at the back of the room.

"Who is this?"

"I said I'd bring him along didn't I?" Toji smiled as her eyes truly brightened.

"So it's...hello, Shinji-san!" Sakura said cheerfully. Shinji found his body freezing up, his guilt overwhelmin almost every cognitive function. Managing to fight that back, he responded in the best way he knew.

"Um...hello...Suzuhara-san..." He bowed his head as was the Japanese way, receiving the best bow the black haired girl could manage in response.

"You're right, he's a bit of a wuss." She directed at her brother.

"Ah, kind of. His spine always appears whenever its needed." Toji playfully poked at his friend, eliciting a slight smile. Slowly, Shinji walked over to the bedside, quickly slipping a hand into his pocket so that he may clench it out of sight.

"So...how are you?" He asked nervously.

"The doctors said my legs are smashed beyond repair...they'll fix em though..." she gulped in fear slightly before continuing.

"They'll just slap some cybernetics on me and I'll be up and about...they're just having some money issues."

 _I'm looking forward to running again...but I won't feel it...the wriggling of my toes...my feet in some warm slippers..._

" _Cybernetics_." He repeated, only just pushing down the grief as he looked upon this girl whose like he nearly took. Whose legs he had robbed. The urge to fall to his knees, to weep about how sorry he was, soon overwhelmed him.

"Oh Spirits I'm so sorry..." his free hand frantically wiped away his tears, his fist balling tighter and tighter, a trickle of red emanating from where his nails cut into his skin.

"Please don't cry. It wasn't your fault." Her hand curled around his free one and gave it a squeeze.

He followed orders again.

Taking a deep and shaking breath, the young man nodded and removed his other hand from his pocket, getting down on one knee so as to be at her height and not above her. In his eyes he did not deserve such a position.

"Do I need to get you some tissues?" Toji offered, provoking a quiet laugh from Shinji, and a giggle from Sakura.

"I've always got my sleeve, Toji-san. Cry babies like me are reliant on them." The oldest individual in the room said with an unusual amount of humour, eliciting some more mirth from the bed bound girl.

"I am sorry though. Truly...truly sorry."

"Don't beat yourself up, my stupid brother wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you!" She beamed.

 _Neither would you..._ He grimly reflected but forced another smile.

"So he told you about that?"

"Well, Aida-san told me...at about ninety miles an hour."

Genuine laughter echoed throughout that small room.

"Yes, that sounds like Kensuke-san." Shinji admitted. Toji fished out a plastic container, within which resided twelve cookies, from his jacket pocket.

"Before I forget, I made these for you." He handed it to his little sister, whose smile only broadened. Shinji meanwhile noticed them to be a tiny bit burned, but he didn't have the heart to mention it.

"You baked again? Oh my big stupid brother does take good care of me..." Sakura pulled the lid off with gusto. Clearly she was aware of his short comings when it came to cooking, but didn't care and ate about half of them without question. Shinji had one, and Toji had the rest, the former doing his very best at not wincing when he bit into the charred delicacy.

He was no baker, but as an _amateur_ chef he could safely say five minutes less would have done the trick with these.

And yet the two black haired siblings ate together in relative happiness, Sakura complementing her elder brother of three years on the excessive amount of chocolate chips he put into them. The bond this brother and sister had for one another was strong. Stronger than anything he could have predicted, in fact Toji seemed like some kind of surrogate parent for Sakura. It was beautiful in a way.

It also left him pondering, how different was this to his own relationship with one of the closest things he had left to family? As socially inept as he was, even he could see the jock would go to the ends of the Earth for his little sister. And Shinji **knew** he'd do exactly the same thing for Rei without hesitation.

* * *

 _10:00am, Tokyo-3, National Diet Building, comms room_

Hayao Hideaki felt a bead of sweat trickle down her neck, as her practical overlord paced behind her. The general appeared like some kind of rabid dog, ready to spring upon and rip apart whatever provoked her in the slightest. And from more than a decade of experience with this woman, Hayao was more than aware of how dangerous Chiso Motichka was when angry. Although to be frank, she herself wasn't overly happy with this devil who feigned innocence before her.

" _I must apologize for my vessel straying out of our waters. I assure you the crew will be reprimanded."_ The flickering hologram of Cao Xu gave a polite bow of the head.

"Bullshit they will!" Chiso harrumphed.

" _Is that not to your satisfaction, General?"_

"The only thing that would give me satisfaction is the Chinese Communist Party **erased from the earth**."

"Please, enough." Hayao said pleadingly, the Prime Minister's words meeting with some success as both held their toungues.

As a middle aged woman whom had been part of the Japanese government for decades, serving in the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan years before Second Impact, she felt both out of her depth and a little infuriated with these _young ones_ who had taken dominion over the Earth.

 _The subtleties of politics and diplomacy are lost on these people._

"We are here to address a very serious violation of the Sengokuhara treaty, a treaty which we all signed. To uphold peace in Asia." Her tone became stern, but Xu's smile never faded.

" _And that peace has been upheld. I assure you, those responsible will be held accountable."_

There was something in his voice that made a chill run down her spine. In a way, **he was telling the truth**. Someone was going to die for this, and they would die very messily indeed.

 _Spirits have mercy upon whatever poor fool botched it up_

"An Admiral vanishing a few days from now isn't enough. I want that ship you ordered into our waters, and I want its crew to face Japanese justice." Chiso continued to pace.

" _I signed no such order-"_

"Of course you didn't. We all know you're too clever for that!"

" _Your accusations bruise me, General, yet you yourself have put multiple submarines in our waters before...is this whole farce not a little hypocritical?"_ Xu trailed off with a slight smirk.

"President, that is not helping the conversation." Hayao said harshly. Xu mockingly pouted.

"Nothing this smiling devil can say will add to our business here, Prime Minister. I demand an apology and the turning over of the vessel which violated Japanese sovereignty!" The General snarled.

" _So you would condemn men who were instrumental in the defeat of a Seraph to death, simply for a piece of paper?"_

She paused for a moment, a multitude of expressions crossing her face, one of which being regret, then sighed.

"What those men did was brave, I will give them that. But this was an utter violation of our waters-"

" _And there will be many more to come if you press this."_

Silence descended upon the room, Hayao wishing she could remove the _bumbling_ General from the conversation, this newcomer and upstart to the game of politics.

"Is that a threat, President?" Chiso raised an eyebrow.

" _Not at all. Unfortunately, my good General, you must understand that our press have already reported the crew of the Changzeng 40 as heroes for their action against our mutual enemy. Imagine the outcry if I were to turn them over to the custody of our old foe..."_ He raised a protesting hand to quieten her.

" _We are at peace, and I intend to uphold this peace to the best of my ability. Hence why I must besiege you to spare these good soldiers lives."_

A flicker of inspiration crossed Hayao's grey eyes as various plans formulated in her head.

"I understand this President, perhaps we can both gain something from our predicament-"

"No more violations of our sovereignty?" Chiso interrupted.

" _Of course."_ Xu nodded.

"You understand that any further activities will result in our using of force?"

" _Transparently."_

"Very well. Then this shall be forgotten...for now. Good day, President Cao." Chiso touched the brim of her cap.

" _Good day, General Motichka."_ The Chinese man then did a strange thing. He bowed his head, in the Japanese manner. She and the Prime Minister were frozen for a few moments, with the General tempted to return this surprising show of respect. But then the hologram flickered away, and the two women were alone.

"We could have got concessions out of that, perhaps even territory or a trade agreement-" The Prime Minister hissed as the General walked out the room.

"He was humiliated enough. Besides, I have no interest in extending our borders again. The last time we meddled in foreign affairs..." Chiso frowned.

 _Was the pacific war._

"With respect, General, that was then, this is now. The game of politics requires an almost limitless amount of tact-"

"Well I don't play your game, Prime Minister. I refuse to." Chiso's eyes narrowed.

"Indeed you don't." Hayao could only just hold back her derision.

 _Hulking, bumbling monkey. Why were the Spirits cruel enough to place you in a position of power?_

No more words were exchanged between the two, as they made their way to the House of Councillors, and after that the House of Representatives, for another day of party politics.

* * *

 _An hour beforehand, NERV Central, Commander's office_

"You have done well, Agent." Gloved hands clasped behind his back, Gendo looked upon the now open briefcase, his lips pressed into a small grin. Along with himself, two figures stood around that table. To his left, his loyal subordinate Fuyutsuki, and to his right, the newest piece he had on the board in his ever more perilous game of chess.

"Their security was hardly the best. A drunk FSS operative could probably have sneaked in and stolen this." Ryoji muttered with some distaste, standing on the other side of the table, e-cigarette in mouth.

"SEELE have confidence born of knowledge. But most certainly not of wisdom..." Gendo conceded, looking down on the strange thing within the glass capsule.

"Kind of underwhelming isn't it? Adam, the first human and cause of Second Impact, is a tiny and ugly foetus with one eye." The Agent said with some derision.

"Not at all, Agent Kaji, not at all. This is much more than you could possibly imagine." The commander murmured cryptically, his hand tenderly curling around the capsule and lifting it up to gain a better look at it.

"Don't drop it..." Ryoji said sardonically.

"Hmmm."

"And our agreement?"

"The files you requested have been emailed to you over a secure connection. You may leave." Satisfied with what he'd seen, Gendo set the contained god back down in its briefcase. Nodding his head, Ryoji slid his hands into his pockets and began walking away.

"You know a lot of people died for that thing. I hope you can do some good with it." He called out.

"It will serve our needs." Gendo put, bluntly as ever.

"Thank you for your services. Welcome to NERV, Agent Kaji." Kozo politely offered, gaining an appreciative nod, before the Agent in question disappeared through the door, with it closing behind him. Now with only the two of them in the room, Gendo let out a quiet sigh.

"Fool. Has he not heard the old adage? _Curiosity killed the cat_." The Commander's cerulean eyes narrowed, clearly annoyed by the man's impudence and intelligence. But nevertheless, every man had his price, and with Ryoji's fixation on finding _the truth_ he'd had his leverage and yet another valuable pawn. One that could be disposed of if the danger grew too great.

"Hopefully it will not come to that, Commander." Kozo said, hands held behind his back.

"Whether he lives or dies is irrelevant, sensei. We are but a few more steps from the scenario's completion...December 31st 2017 AD is not far now..."

As always, the way his superior spoke of their plan's culmination, of the scenario's ultimate goal, made Kozo's skin crawl. He of course wanted the outcome just as much as Ikari...but the cost was sometimes too much to bear. Occasionally, he really did curse his own desires and how they ruled him so.

 _These are mankind's last days as it knows itself. Spirits forgive me...but I have to see her again..._

* * *

 _9:00am, Monday the 18th of July, Sengokuhara High_

"Jeez buddy, it must be hell to work with those two." Toji shook his head after Shinji regaled them with his tale of woe from the previous Sunday.

"It's not easy. Soryu-san treats **everything** as a some kind of competition which only she is allowed to win, and Meadow-san...he isn't as confrontational but that's because he probably thinks he's better than everyone else." He leaned back in seat. Just the way they held themselves, with such dignity but no humbleness whatsoever. Misato had explained this as "their breeding" coming through, and this wasn't at all unusual for aristocrats.

Upon making some snide comment about the rudeness of the westerners, his guardian had been quick to remind him that Japanese nobility, the old Samurai warrior class, would cut down people in the street if they were so much as looked at the wrong way.

"When they speak to us, it is with courtesy but not true respect." Rei added, herself having something approximate to _mixed feelings_ on the matter.

"Really? They'd both be dead if it weren't for you two. All of us would!" Kensuke sounded legitimately angry, his sandy eyebrows furrowing.

"Maybe...but they're **really** good. What were their synch rates again, Ayanami-chan?" Shinji found it strange how natural it was to refer to the ethereal girl in such a manner.

"Eighty percent or more. Regardless of their attitude, it is...impressive." She conceded, despite taking some issue with their treatment of her progenitor's son.

 _They owe their lives to him. Surely they must understand that?_

"Is that high?" Kensuke queried.

"The highest you can get is one hundred percent. Out of us two, I'm the highest scoring and I can barely push seventy." Shinji said disbelievingly. He **really** wasn't looking forward to those combat simulations which were meant to occur later that week.

 _I'm going to get destroyed._

"Hate to butt in, but could I have your attention for a moment?" Hikari's voice disturbed their conversation. She stood before them, arms wrapped around her _book of offenders_.

"Oh...of course, class rep." Toji nodded nervously, choosing to focus on her forehead instead of her doughy brown eyes...

"We've got two new students coming in today. So let's give them a warm welcome." She said.

"Sure. Where are they from?" Kensuke tilted his head.

"I'm not sure. I just know they're going to be here in a few minutes. So best behaviour." She added, then walked off to her desk.

"Received and understood!" Toji and Kensuke called out.

 _Oh great, more new people..._ Shinji's grey matter mumbled to itself. It seemed like he could only just get used to his fellow human beings before yet more were dropped on his plate. A few minutes later, the sound of the classroom door swinging open, footsteps on the floor, and Hikari's command of "stand" caught everyone's attention.

 _And here's the new guy-_

A flash of golden red hair stopped every single one of his thoughts in their tracks, as his soul spiralled into an oblivion of horror. Having finished writing her name on the board in the Latin alphabet, the "new" student whirled around to face them all, right hand firmly placed on slightly thrust out hip.

" _Guttenmorgen_! I'm Asuka Zeppelin Soryu. Charmed I'm sure." Asuka smiled sickly sweetly.

Shinji and all his classmates stared back, his eyes nearly popping forth from their sockets in horror.

 _Oh...Spirits_ _ **why!?**_

The customary bow followed, to which Asuka gave a polite nod, before taking her own seat a few desks away from his own position. Upon sitting back down, Shinji slowly and quietly massaged his face, his very being contorted in dismay. As much as he respected the girl, he felt he could only take so much of her. And now...

"This can't get any worse..." Toji shook his head with despair.

"Don't say that...just don't say that..." He leaned back in his chair, almost expecting a Seraph to attack right then and there.

"I would agree with Ikari. Although there is no such thing as luck, I have noticed disaster often follows such words." Rei said, she herself not overly elated at the prospect of sharing a classroom with Soryu. And then, as according to her calculations, things increased in their awfulness.

 **Exponentially.**

The sound of boots clicking echoed throughout the outside corridor, as a blonde Caucasian boy in full **Imperial** military regalia strode through that door, gloved hands held behind his back. With the posture of a soldier on parade, he stood in front of the board and cast his blue gaze over his new classmates.

The command to "stand" was given again, although Shinji and his friends did it with a great deal more reluctance. This stranger to most of the class opened his mouth to speak, and the introverted Japanese boy began inwardly screaming for the next few hours straight.

"I am Major Samuel Meadow of His Imperial Britannic Majesty's Army. Owing to my duties to my glorious home land, I find myself stationed here with you. I am not here to be your friend, but show appropriate respect and I shall tolerate you." Samuel said harshly.

His little speech left many astounded, with Hikari stammering out a surprised "bow" which was obeyed, and Mr Sisata raising a grey eyebrow. Samuel merely gave a "hmm" then assumed his seat next to Asuka.

All whilst the redhead in question held her forehead in the palm of her hand.

 _And the Empire makes another good impression upon another society...oh gott I've got my work cut out..._


	32. 8:1 Through other eyes

" _Hoag Netzach. Keon Geutol, Keon Ejrod!_

" _Hail Netzach, Lord of the Divine, Lord of the Earth!"_

 **Battle cry of the Royal Aesylian Army.**

* * *

 _The realm of Vhaayn_

Since the cradle, they'd been told stories of warriors without peer. Divine legend usually revolved around such things as battle, honour, duty, and glory. Things only gained by drenching yourself in the blood of your enemies. But now...no soldier of the Royal army had swung their weapon in anger for a billion and a half years. Even before the calamity, and the end of everything as they knew it, the warrior race had not known conflict for eighteen thousand years. It was a peace, brought by Lord Netzach's mailed fist.

For these Royal guard, they had long itched for action and glory. For their names to be sung alongside Abax, Achael and Zeruel. But this war in which their people were now embroiled, was not living up to expectations.

The two men, one being only just a man, and the other having actually breathed the pure air of Ejrod, sat at the wooden table with great flasks of mead in hand. The tavern was of classic design, wooden walls, thatched roof, shields and furs emblazoned all over the place. It was not _real_ per say, all artificial. Though they felt and looked as if they were real, buildings such as these were not constructed from any tree or rock. All of it was conjured into existence by the Sovereign, when he created this strange place as a safe haven. As was implied by the very meaning of the name "Vhaayn", this was place was far beyond ordinary.

"Tastes like _Savy_ piss." The elder divine grumbled, drinking the mead down nonetheless. He'd take what he could get.

"What was the original like?" The younger inquired, having never known the full strength of Aesylian mead.

"Eh, makes that Taylus wine seem like mildly strong water."

"Seriously? Must have been quite something?"

"It was lad...it was..." The elder's expression darkened, his mind dwelling upon all the other things he'd lost in the calamity. His homeland, his friends, his wife, and his many children. All gone.

"Sorry, sir...didn't mean to remind you-" The younger said sadly, before his superior shook his head.

"It's nothing lad. Besides, we're off duty, no need for any _sirs_." He dismissed it.

"Yes sir...I mean, of course, Krael." The younger probed nervously.

They continued to drink their alcoholic beverage, whilst a brawl broke out in the corner of the tavern, a chair eventually being thrown. They paid it no mind however, as the urge to fight was in the nature of their people, and refusing it was a nonsensical thing.

"What do you make of our current problem?" Krael leaned back in his seat, flagon empty.

"It won't last. The _Vooren_ have just been lucky so far-" The younger was saying, until the elder cut him off.

"And what if they keep being lucky? Better start praying to _Hoer_ for some help or we're all in trouble..."

"That's a bit defeatist. If it comes to the worst, his Lordship will go down there and smash them into a pulp."

"He's not invincible, lad. The greatest of us all without doubt, I'd follow him into Tsuog and back, but he's been beaten before. Haven't you been told the epic of Netzach?"

"Oh come on, he was taken by surprise! Besides he came back-"

" _Because even death couldn't keep him from his love_ , yes we've all heard that one. His Lordship is mighty beyond imagination, even the false gods fell by his hand. But still...I worry..." Krael sighed a little, falling into deep thought, whilst the younger Divine, Wixal, listened on, enraptured by the man who was already fifty thousand years old when the calamity struck.

"His blade, his butcher, his hunter, and now his maw? What dark sorceries have the Vooren appealed to for salvation?" Krael trailed off, then reassured himself.

"Bah, it won't come to that. And if it does, I'll go through myself..."

"You wouldn't stand a chance though-" Wixal said in surprise.

"No fucking stupid _Vooren_ armour is going to keep me from having some proper alcohol. Or some meat, or actual water... **damn them**." Krael slammed his fist on the table.

Wixal sighed.

"I understand. Oh gods they're so pathetic...no strength of their own, the animals can't even use their walls of light for Hoer's sake!" he shook his head.

"How did a race that pathetic steal our world...hmm... _Firjioks_ must have been in a joking mood when she crafted them."

"Joking? What are the Gods if not jokers? Hoer himself created the world on a drunken bet!" The elder said boisterously, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Which, due to the younger smiling, was successful.

"I'll have you know, old man, some of my greatest achievements have been accomplished due to alcohol!"

"Such as?"

"Asking his Lordship to serve in his Royal guard."

Both of them laughed at that.

"You madman! You know what his Lordship is like with time wasters!" Krael said, astounded.

"Heads, spikes, and walls..." Wixal nodded.

"How much did you drink to think that was a good idea?"

Wixal couldn't help but smile as he sloshed his mead around in his flagon.

"Taylus wine, my friend. It's stronger than people give it credit for..."

* * *

The settlement within that realm was different to the ones that came before. No walls, no fortifications, things that would have had any pre-calamity Divine scratching their head in confusion. Unfortunately, there was simply no necessity for such things. Aside from those things however, it seemed relatively familiar. The standard homes assembled from wood and stone were dotted around three central buildings.

The first, was the Royal council chamber, standing out immensely as a solid slab of marble, obsidian, and brass, where matters of state were discussed and acted upon.

The second, were the barracks, where the Royal guard and ordinary soldiers were billeted and trained. Made up of a hundred great wooden halls, housing a hundred warriors each, this was the centre of law and order in this strange realm, with even the grain store being kept beneath it, so as to maximise desperately needed control over food consumption.

However, the heart of this remnant society, was a large wooden hall, with a great fenced in field attached to it.

This was Sovereign Netzach's hold, his palace. And it was within the practice grounds of this place, a trainee hunter was blasting various wooden bullseyes.

The beam of energy was small, but it did its job. The target was not just struck, it was vaporised, leaving nothing but blackened grass. The little girl giggled to herself, impressed with her own power. Mother had always said she'd make a fine warrior, and thus it was only fitting her tutelage was continued. Standing just behind her, making sure she wouldn't overexert herself, was Heir Tabris, watching the display with some amusement and sadness.

Though she was smaller, though her power was less, Rezel was the spitting image of her mother. Her blue hair being of exactly the same shade, not quite as long but getting there. This was all that remained of Heir Ramiel. His harsh yet caring older sister.

He saw a good deal of her in her daughter, more of the caring side though. Rezel couldn't hurt a fly. Ramiel would blast you through a wall if you did the wrong thing. It was strange how someone with such patience for her prey, had absolutely no time for stupidity. Especially from her own family. Samael was still nursing a blow to his face from that one time he'd drunkenly stumbled into the bathing rooms when...she wasn't decent.

Tabris has been wise enough to not get on anyone's bad side, and he'd absolutely no intention to start anytime soon. Even Arael, probably the most psychotic member of the family, didn't take any issue with him. It was partly due to his youth, partly due to his softness, with a little bit of intelligence mixed in. For it could never be said that Tabris was an unpleasant individual.

 _I'm too soft for the throne...oh well. I can live without it._

It suited him just fine to live in the shadow of his sibling's marshal prowess. In fact, his hope was to be given a small holding on a mountain side, where he could observe the beautiful scenery from a fine position in his garden, and write about his musings on life and the world in his spare time. He'd already narrowed down his future home to two locations after extensive conversation with his father and the Fist. The _lake district_ and _mount Fuji_ as the Vooren called them, sounded quite pretty.

"...Uncle Tabris?" A small hand tugged his arm.

"Mmm? What is it?" He lowered himself to one knee, so as to not stand over his charge.

"I destroyed all the targets. Was I meant to do that?" Rezel was correct. Every single target on the range had been reduced to ashes whilst he'd daydreamed. Wincing ever so slightly, Tabris forced a smile.

"It's alright. When we reconquer Ejrod, we'll have all the targets we'll ever need."

"Really?" She beamed.

"Of course. You can have some moving ones if you want..." He trailed off, the idea of making his sibling's killers run up and down as Rezel took her vengeance and justice, being most appealing.

"But wood can't move..." She said innocently.

"Maybe when you're older." His conscience swiftly reminded him this girl was six.

"The Gods are unkind to all, regardless of age dear brother." A pompous and slimy voice made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Arael stalked over to the two, his white cape fluttering in Vhaayn's strange winds. He wore his usual expression, one of barely contained smugness, self superiority, and an insatiable appetite for cruelty.

Rezel's gaze suddenly fixed on the ground, as Tabris deeply inhaled, then exhaled.

"Brother, what brings you here?"

"Am I not allowed to go for a walk? I do other things aside from ripping up blades of grass." Arael chuckled slightly, taking in the cinders that were once wooden targets.

"Trying to emulate your mother? Hmm...I wouldn't recommend it."

"But...she was the Sovereign's hunter-" The girl said nervously.

"And she's dead. Utterly pointlessly I might add." The sheer bluntness of his words, cut into the six year old's soul like nothing else could, provoking the onset of sobs.

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh crying will not bring your mother back, whelp. Just accept that she's dead, in pieces and probably being taken apart by the _Vooren_ as we speak."

"B-b-but if the body isn't buried correctly..." tears streamed down her cheeks with reckless abandon.

"Then her soul wanders Ejrod for all eternity, never able to pass on-"

" **Arael, that is enough!** " Tabris snarled, putting himself between his charge and elder brother.

"It is merely the truth, dear brother. One should not shy from such things." The twelfth Heir shrugged, sauntering off, a smirk on his face as Rezel's sobbing became music to his demented ears.

 _Life is misery. Why not take some enjoyment from it?_

Her red eyes, so like her mother's, followed the source of her current pain, the arrogance of his posture awakening something within her little soul. Orange lightening flickered around the girl's hand, as her grief turned into a mischievous smile. Before Tabris could stop her, Rezel angled her arm in Arael's direction, and a beam of energy surged forth, striking him in his back and knocking him flat on his face.

Such a blast would utterly incinerate an ordinary person.

However, it was merely a strong push for the Divine Heir. Picking himself up from the ground, his red gaze narrowed as it fixed on the girl, his gauntleted hand curling into a fist. Rezel giggled at this, and even Tabris found himself smirking somewhat. Arael's eye twitched, and his body shook as he considered tearing this brat's mind asunder, before he reigned himself in.

"Keep that pest under control Tabris, I wouldn't want to teach her a lesson-" A sudden flair of orange lightening threw him twenty feet through the air.

A much larger shadow had cast itself over the youngest Heir and his charge.

"You'd be in pieces on the floor before I'd let you do that. She's just having some harmless fun, so grow a sense of humour, **brother**. Besides, I wouldn't want to see what father would do to you-" Zeruel chuckled as his humiliated brother snarled.

Getting down on one knee, the successor to the Sovereign's throne ruffled the girl's hair.

"Fine marksmanship. But don't go picking fights with people bigger than you." He swiftly gave Tabris a raised eyebrow.

"Watch her more carefully next time."

"Yes, Zeruel...sorry..." Tabris muttered.

"As long as the lesson is understood, there need not be an apology. Now, I believe the kitchens have concocted something pleasant. I'd recommend getting something before Sahaquiel gets there." Zeruel playfully joked, eliciting some laughs.

"Alright. Come on, Rezel." Tabris stretched out a hand which the little girl took.

"Have...have I made uncle Arael angry at you?" She guiltily asked.

"No, not at all. He's just..." The youngest Heir's expression darkened.

"...an awkward person."

* * *

Zeruel paced over to his brother, who lay on his back scowling at the sky.

"Were you really considering doing **that** to a child?" He folded his arms.

No response.

"Mother would be very disappointed in you."

Arael growled a little, before pulling himself off the floor. There had always been something wrong with those red eyes, as if they looked upon the world as nothing more than a fly to have its wings pulled off. But since the morning slaughter, and the death of the one person he'd listen too, his sadism had grown beyond imagination. At first he'd been cruel, now he was evil.

"Very well. I won't go near Ramiel's spawn again..." He said, as his elder brother's eyes narrowed.

"Swear it." Zeruel growled.

Arael sighed.

"On my Mother's, and my sibling's graves, I, Heir Arael, 8th in line to the Royal throne, do solemnly swear to not lay a finger on Heir Rezel. Will that suffice?"

"For now."

The mentally unwell Divine huffed for a moment before storming off back to the hold.

"You are lucky. Where it Rogziel who discovered this, and not I, you would've been torn limb from limb." The successor called after him.

"I care very little for what that vicious oaf thinks." Arael said, disappearing back inside. Zeruel watched him go, his expression becoming mournful.

 _Rogziel cannot control his wrath...but he is not cruel. And neither were you once...Gods, Yewey wouldn't even recognize you now._

* * *

Within the council chamber, a minor Lord shivered as he held a sheet of parchment in front of him, relaying what was written on it to his monarch. What was written, was measurements and estimates relating to the grain supplies. Very worrying measurements and estimates.

"So you are saying...our supplies are in danger?" Netzach boomed from atop his throne.

"Yes, my Lord. This place was never meant to be more than a temporary sanctuary, not a refuge to last seventeen years." The kneeling minor Lord gulped, feeling that red gaze burn him.

"I cannot stress our problem enough. **If** we are careful, the grain stores will last another three hundred days at most. The ground is simply not fertile enough to grow anything. We have to crush the _Vooren_ , and we have to do it quickly, lest the last of our race starves to death."

"Death by starvation? Not exactly a way I'd wish to meet the Gods again..." The Lord of the Divine massaged his eyebrows.

"Perhaps...you yourself could resolve this matter?" The minor Lord flinched when Netzach raised his hand.

"And deny my Heirs the chance to prove themselves worthy? No...are you Taylus per chance?"

"Yes...my Lord. I was there when you took the capital. I fail to see how this relevant-"

"Ah, I see. Such a lack of understanding for Aesylian battle lust can only come from the uninitiated. Eighteen thousand years of our rule, and we still haven't toughened you up." This elicited a ripple of laughter from the Aesylian Lords in the room.

 _Uncultured savages...oh the fates are cruel to have us at your mercy..._ The minor Lord, Caesael, the only remaining member of the subjugated Taylus Imperial family, stamped down his anger.

"Be that as it may, we cannot afford any more delays. Ejrod must be ours again within the next 300 days-" He pressed on.

"I understand this. I understand this very well. That is why Israfel and Isrefael are departing for the old realm shortly." The Lord of Ash dismissed this concern, as Caesael raised an eyebrow.

"My Lord, I was under the impression only one soul could pass through the rift and exist on the other side at a time, lest it collapse completely?"

"You would be correct. But surely you must have heard the story? Of when the two were born, they were so close that their souls were practically one?"

"...I do not question you, your Lordship...but...I presumed that was over exaggerating. Is such a thing truly possible?"

"Yes."

The minor Lord exhaled in acceptance.

"Very well. That is all I have to say." He stood up, and made his way back to his seat.

Netzach drummed his fingers upon his throne's armrest, smiling slightly at his assembled council.

"You all worry over whether or not my children will be successful? You should not indulge such doubts. But, even if by some miracle the worst comes to the worst, then the Knights of NERV shall know terror by my hand. Indeed, the _Vooren_ are fortunate, for so far they have only earned my ire. Gods have mercy upon them if they draw my wrath..."


	33. 9:1 Foreigners

" _Difficulties be damned, full steam ahead! Don't let those Tokuajin bastards regroup!"_

 **Admiral Kenchi Tsuruku, battle of Hoyo strait, 1st of September 2005.**

* * *

 _1:30pm, Friday the 24th of July, Sengokuhara High_

The sun had gone past its zenith, but the heat it produced still burned down on Japan. A never yielding barrage of rays fell down upon the various children who ran around the school, as they went about their day to day business, such as getting work in on time, or doing that extra bit of studying for exams. Shinji did not have such things to do, as he was a studious young man who kept on top of his work. High grades were not something he achieved often, but failure had yet to happen. It surprised him, truly, for he felt after putting in every assignment he'd done, he'd surely fail. But no such thing had come to pass.

 _Yet_ he grimly noted.

To his left however, Rei was highly academic. Far more intelligent than he could ever hope to be, getting excellent grades for every piece of homework, exam, or assignment. Clearly, through a miracle of science, his mother's genius had passed down to her.

Bringing his mind back to the present, he looked at the nearly blank document in front of him, with only a few lines copy and pasted from the _The Vance dynasty_ , giving him some semblance of a guideline.

"Ikari-kun, you have done little work for the past hour." Rei flashed her gaze at his monitor.

The two were sitting alone in the classroom, everyone else having cleared out for lunch break. Just some more awkward quality time together.

"I know...gah I just don't know what to do. I've been looking at this for an hour straight and nothing's come to me." He sighed. "I'm dead."

"What is the issue?" She leaned over a bit, her red eyes analysing his work.

"I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around this. It's that old history assignment on _why Sebastian Vance was so popular_. I mean...I get it but I can't put it into words. It's such a pain..." Shinji leaned back in his seat and exhaled loudly.

Leaning away, Rei returned to her work.

"Perhaps your mind is overtaxed and requires rest? I would recommend acquiring sustenance from the cantine. I have work yet to be finished, go on without me."

Feeling her advice had truth to it, he closed the monitor down, pushed his seat out and stood up, stretching his limbs until he heard satisfying "clicks."

"You've probably got a point. Are you sure you don't want to go now Ayanami-chan?" He asked.

"I am sure." She continued working.

"Alright, see you in a bit."

Getting his things together, Shinji made his way to the classroom door, pushed it open, then began walking down the corridor to the cantine. It did pain him by no small amount to leave Rei all by herself, but of late she'd seemed a bit more...alive. Not so oblivious to the universe, seemingly cold and uncaring or alien.

In her own way, she was totally amicable with him, which was something the boy immensely appreciated. Now that she seemed a good deal more happy, he felt a little more at ease with letting her out of his sight.

Nevertheless...he wouldn't be any longer than ten minutes.

 _...Maybe if Meadow-san is at lunch I could ask him for help? He is an Imperial..._

He quickly corrected himself. He didn't know that boy well enough to even go out of his way to say hello, let alone engage in conversation. And as for his redheaded colleague...well she was causing quite a stir.

Many of the male students had a thing for Asuka already, as apparently she was _exotic_. Considering the things he'd seen, she seemed rather hot tempered yet ordinary. Granted, she hadn't yet started wielding orange lightening as a weapon, but he wouldn't be too surprised if she could. Nevertheless, the German countess was refreshingly human to him. And there was no denying...she wasn't exactly ugly.

Neither of them were.

Shinji promptly rolled his eyes.

Samuel had already caught the attention of dozens of girls by now. Of course that was to be expected, as he was a rather handsome individual. Granted, Hikari certainly didn't seem impressed by him, usually being rather annoyed by his pomposity and self superiority. Kirishima seemed utterly uninterested, and Rei...he doubted she was even comprehended that sort of thing.

 _Honestly, looks aren't everything. At least some people can see that..._ He told himself, shoving down feelings of his own inadequacy with the opposite sex.

His attitude leaned towards "mildly irritated" on the matter of the _gaijn_. He didn't dislike them of course, in fact he had some respect for them. They seemed totally unafraid to be themselves, not conforming to the situation but forcing it to suit their needs.

It was almost admirable...but unfortunately it really did make them come off as rather rude. Whilst they would not seem overtly rude in their home societies, in Japan...

 _I don't dislike them, but I don't like them._

By the time he arrived, the cantine was still quite full, students bustling around holding their trays and bags of food. Usually, Shinji would put his own packed lunch together and eat that for the midday meal instead of sampling whatever the school had on offer. However, today he felt unusually adventurous. He certainly wasn't disappointed, as today salty ramen and deep fried tempura was on offer, which the boy found to be surprisingly tasty. Still, he took his time with his food, spooning in mouthfuls, chewing properly, then swallowing. Teacher had spent years both metaphorically and physically beating this into him, so of course these mannerisms stuck.

As he leisurely drank his carton of milk, a shadow belonging to someone only slightly shorter than himself shrouded his world in darkness. The boy felt his stomach contort in upon itself, having a very good idea of who was looking down upon him.

"Well _hallo_ there, Shinji." Said a sickly sweet and entirely fake voice.

 _Oh Spirits_

"Oh hello...Soryu-san..." Shinji felt every bone and muscle in his body groan with horror.

Asuka stood directly behind him, one hand on slightly thrust out hip, the other holding her school bag. The standard navy blue uniform complemented her well, despite red and blue being colours opposite to one another.

A wicked smile flashed on her freckled face, as she watched her prey sink into his seat.

 _Gott you're easy to scare. How many months of fun do I have ahead with you?_

"I didn't think the _invincible Third child_ would be sitting all by himself. Doesn't he have legions of adoring fans to pander to him constantly?" She leaned on the table.

"Um...I don't know...most of my friends have already eaten...I don't think I'd want fans..." Shinji muttered.

"Really? You wouldn't want to be the centre of attention!?"

"No thanks. I don't like crowds." He tried to ignore her, putting some prawn into his mouth.

The redhead found herself stumped by this. This young man, who had been stealing her glory for more than a month, was actually averse to gaining attention for it. It made no sense to her, after all to have the world's focus was a life goal of hers. She would command it's attention and respect for decades to come, through nothing else but her sheer skill and prowess as a Pilot.

"Ugh, how boring. Attitude like that is going to make you one lonely old man." Asuka turned her nose up at him, again, as if he were some sort of putrid meat. Unknowingly, this did sting him somewhat.

 _I don't need reminding of how pathetic I am._

"What's boring?" Said another voice, one Shinji really didn't want to hear at that moment.

Samuel walked over in his usual manner, hands held behind his back, his expression not hostile but very much under control.

"This is. _Herr_ misanthrope apparently doesn't like crowds." The redhead nodded at the meek Japanese boy.

"Well, he didn't strike me as the type." The Imperial brought himself to a halt next to Asuka.

"Good afternoon, Shinji. Nervous about this evening per chance?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What's happening tonight?" Shinji asked, surprised.

Asuka explosively sighed, muttering about _a dummkopf with the attention span of a goldfish_ , whilst the blonde boy began smiling.

"Ah, didn't you know?" He leaned forward.

"Know what?" Shinji felt a little part of himself tense.

"I'm surprised, Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi was very specific. It's combat simulations at six. I'd wish you the very best of luck, but as you're up against me..." The Imperial laughed. "I don't even think luck could help you out there. But fear not, I'll be gentle."

The redhead snorted at that.

"Well I won't. You're going down, Third, down into the _ficking_ ground. Just because you're the Commander's son, doesn't mean you're getting any special treatment from me." She wagged a threatening finger at him, giving the boy every indication she'd see to carrying through this promise.

"I don't get special treatment..." Shinji felt an almost irresistible urge to shrink into nothingness, as many pairs of eyes had been drawn to his predicament, and the overly loud westerners.

Asuka did not let up however, looming over him even more.

"If you think giving me puppy eyes is going to work, you're sadly mistaken." Her tone became harsher.

"But I'm not-" He flinched as she raised her hand.

" _Nein_. There's no pulling the hood over my eyes, Shinji. Only an Idiot would try that...but it was a nice attempt. Don't worry, I, the great Asuka Zeppelin Soryu, will not hurt you too badly. _Holle_ , I might even give you a free hit." Her grin broadened as he turned pale.

"Th-thank you...Soryu-san..." he stammered.

" _Nicht zu danken, dummkopf_." Asuka mockingly patted Shinji's brown hair.

Samuel watched, amused.

"Are you quite finished with turning his pants brown?" He asked.

The freckled girl laughed.

"Oh...I haven't even **started**."

"...somehow I believe that."

* * *

 _5:45pm, NERV Central_

Shinji knew this route quite well now, and to his slight amusement his new colleagues actually ending up following himself and Rei for a part of the journey. Said amusement had swiftly faded upon further thought on what they were here for.

 _I might be used to having the snot beaten out of me...that doesn't mean I enjoy it._

Rei meanwhile, seemed completely undisturbed by the task ahead of them. Although that was because she was far braver than him in oh so many ways. He might be counting on her help to stand any chance at all.

"Have you done any combat simulations before, Ayanami-san?" He asked.

"Three. They were against replicas of Unit 00, as we had no data on how the Seraphim fought." The bluehead said, dwelling on what was to come.

 _I have been given their files, but I do not know how the Second and Fourth child perform. This should be...an intriguing exercise._

She'd never been a suspicious person, but she did suspect this was going to be "one hell of a fight" as normal humans put it.

"So...what's our chances?" Shinji said with some humour.

"...I do not wish to make such calculations." Rei put bluntly.

The boy quietly laughed at that.

"Fair enough. We'll watch out for each other."

"Indeed. My promise is still valid."

That sent shivers down his spine.

 **That promise**. The one made before the battle with the 6th Angel, was one the meek young man could scarcely forget. A promise that when the time came, she would die to protect him. He hoped he could talk her out of that one day, or at the very least...not let it come to that.

Meanwhile, behind them, the children of two Empires, those of Germany and Britain, were merrily chatting away to each other. All while giving the occasional look at the more experienced Pilots.

"So what do you think, which one's going to be the bigger problem?" Samuel asked.

"Hmm...the Third knows what he's doing, but loses control **way** too easily. As for the First...from what you've said she's one to watch." Asuka thoroughly analysed the other girl, a little part of her, the scientific part, being utterly fascinated with what _she_ was.

That had been topic for a conversation which lasted almost an hour between herself and Samuel.

It had been the day after they defeated the 7th Seraph, and arrived in Japan. Sub Commander Ritsuko Akagi and Combat operations director Misato Katsuragi, had filled them in on _need to know things_. Such as the fact that Rei Ayanami was a clone, and the only one of her kind. Almost immediately, Asuka had asked who the template was, only to be told that was _classified_. The Imperial officer had then gone off in a huff about " _what else is bloody classified?"_

But even he could not help but be intrigued by the artificial human.

 _Must have been bred for war. That's why she's so calm._ Was the thought on both their minds.

Although Asuka did find herself questioning the necessity of blue hair, red eyes, and alabaster skin. Granted, it did provide some sort of ethereal...beauty...but it was ultimately unsettling. The clone's almost lifeless expression, her limited and wooden vocabulary, reminded the redhead of some sort of doll...

Samuel meanwhile, had found himself slightly respecting the other two Pilots. Rei, for carrying out the duty for which she was born with unfaltering professionalism, and Shinji, for being a timid and cowardly individual who carried out his charge nonetheless. Not that he truly liked them, in fact between the boy's wimpy nature, and the _Plank's_ , attitude towards the universe, he was somewhat annoyed.

But he wasn't here to make friends. He was here to secure the Empire's survival, and win it and himself glory beyond imagining. It was more of the latter in Asuka's case, but he was fully aware she meant well.

"So...who's going to win?" The redhead in question said knowingly at her Imperial counterpart.

"Oh come off it, Asuka, it's **always** a fifty, fifty thing between us. If I can keep you at a distance, I do well. If I don't, I get annihilated." He said dismissively.

"Uh...I'll give you 25% chance. And that's me being generous." They both began to smile at that,

"That sounds like fighting talk, Hauptmann Soryu. It seems that once again the continentals must be shown their place."

"Then it's time the Empire was reminded it's not invincible..."

The four finally arrived at the divergence in the corridor, one path leading to the men's changing room, and the other leading to the women's. Shinji sighed with reluctance, almost sensing he was about to be on the receiving end of a legendary beating.

As the group split up, he called after Rei.

"Good luck, Ayanami-chan."

She looked back, and gave a quick nod.

"Good luck, Ikari-kun."

Asuka and Samuel watched the little exchange with some humour and raised eyebrows.

"Well, Third, I'll see you in a few minutes. Enjoy them while you can..." The freckled girl laughed a little before disappearing off into the changing rooms with Rei. The Imperial meanwhile just patted him on the shoulder.

"I'd tell you to worry about that one...but you'll be in the same scenario as me so it doesn't really matter. Now, let's have some fun." He grinned a fearsome grin.

Shinji numbly made his way into the changing room, walking over to his locker whilst desperately fighting off the urge to shiver.

 _Spirits have mercy, they're going to be the death of me..._

And then he realised he'd stripped naked with another boy in the room. His cheeks swiftly turned beetroot red as he froze, whilst Samuel undressed in a totally undisturbed manner, hardly paying him any mind whatsoever. At least until, noticing his comrade's discomfort, the Imperial tilted his head.

"What? This is a men's changing room, what more do you expect?" He slowly angled his gaze downward, the other boy doing the same.

"Envious are you?" He smirked.

Shinji's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish for a few moments, his hands fumbling as they swiftly moved to cover his exposed manhood.

"To be fair chum, there isn't much to hide." Samuel started laughing, as his brain started chastising.

 _How was it the homeland of the Samurai produced ilk such as you? Beware your ancestors don't start haunting you for your...shameful display...my god, I think I've seen some insects bigger than that..._

He stopped himself there.

 _Actually that's not entirely fair. Some of the ones I saw in South America were big buggers._


	34. 9:2 Combat Simulation

All four plugs were aligned and half submerged in LCL, for conductive reasons and for the purposes of a more accurate simulation. Every single Pilot NERV currently had, were already seated in their respective plugs, some completely at peace, others shifting uncomfortably.

Shinji among them.

Although he did not scratch, his plugsuit irritated him to no end.

 _Why couldn't they have made them with a nicer fabric?_ He regretfully mused, letting his body completely relax into his seat. The usual stream of colour cascaded over him, and a computer generated map of Tokyo-3 now filled his vision. A vid link opened up in the corner, displaying the faces of Sub Commander Akagi, Lieutenant Ibuki, and Misato.

" _Good afternoon, Ikari-san. I assume you are keeping well?"_ Maya offered in that sweet voice of hers, whilst her superiors bustled around in the background.

Over time, Shinji had found himself warming to the woman some ten years his elder, yet appeared every bit as "soft" as he.

"Yes, Ibuki-san. Can't say I'm looking forward to this...but it could be worse." He shrugged his shoulders.

Maya smiled.

" _It's one of the only ways to get through life isn't it? We're going to run a few synch tests whilst we set up vid links with your colleagues. That may take a few minutes."_

"I understand."

A few moments later, another window popped up, an image of Rei lying into her seat with her eyes closed.

 _Already synchronising...damn we might have a chance._

Soon enough, two more faces flickered into existence, those of Samuel and Asuka. The redhead looked remarkably comfortable, as if this were her preferred and natural environment. The Imperial on the other hand, looked as if he wanted to shrink out of existence...

Shinji knew full well why, and he loved it to death. And as it turned out, so did Asuka.

She blinked for a couple of seconds, peering in further at the image of her British colleague and friend, an utterly amazed and dreamlike grin spreading on her lips.

"No..." She said, before roaring with laughter, clutching her stomach whilst desperately trying to suppress her mirth. Samuel didn't take it well.

"Bugger off." He muttered.

"They-they-they actually got you in a fucking plugsuit! Stahp, turn it off before I pee myself.."

The Japanese boy himself couldn't help but stifle a few sniggers, which was exactly what the control staff were doing, whilst Rei merely opened a single eye, appraised the Imperial's predicament, raised her eyebrow microscopically, in something akin to slight amusement, then returned to focus on her Pilot Link.

" _Ah, Meadow-san. I do hope your plug suit is up to scratch."_ Ritsuko pressed her lips into a smirk, Samuel's huffing grew in intensity.

"Oh shut up...for the record, this is **entirely** against my will." He blustered whilst Asuka continued to _expire_ from laughter.

" _It's NERV policy and it affects your Pilot Link. Just accept it."_ Misato had to force down a chuckle at the incensed aristocrat's fury and embarrassment. On another screen, Shinji had now closed his eyes and began linking, but a content smile had crossed his lips.

The other boy had made no end of fuss over being forced into a plugsuit. His initial protests of "I'm not NERV personnel" had been shot down as it was clearly explained to him, that he was on NERV property and working with it. Therefore, for Eva related activities, he had to abide by their chain of command and rules. Shinji had half expected him to refuse to do anything, but as it turned out even a child of the Empire wasn't that petty. And to be frank, the suit wasn't that bad.

It was the standard NERV male design, with the top section being dyed navy blue, legs black, hands white, and piped in gold. From what he'd seen of them, it did seem to be quite an Imperial colour scheme. The A-10 headset wasn't that bad to look at either, being white with blue piping. But even then, Samuel had nearly thrown his dolls out of the pram, decrying them as "bloody cat ears."

Ultimately however, he complied, and now sat in his plug fuming away. Most likely to take out said frustration on them in the coming simulation.

The Pilot of Unit 01 resolutely refused to let that be a dampener on his amusement.

Over the next few minutes, the synch tests were completed and the four children were ready for a taste of computer generated battle.

" _Alright, before we have you engage one another in combat, we're going to pit you against some scenarios resembling previous engagements with Seraphim. Just to get you into the swing of things."_ Misato relayed, watching the simulations of the individual Evas begin to play out.

A chorus of "understood" soon met her ears.

The first scenario was against the 4th Seraph, which none of them failed.

Shinji kept out of its blade's range, eventually tricking it into bringing down a skyscraper on itself, before he crushed its broken core with his foot.

Rei darted in and out of its strikes, eventually landing that single deadly blow on the core.

Samuel matched it in sword play, eventually wearing his heavier opponent down before running it through.

Asuka simply tackled the monstrosity to the ground and viciously stabbed it to death.

The following simulation with the 5th Seraph, followed a roughly similar pattern.

Misato noted with some pride how Shinji, a boy who through nothing but guts and damn good luck had defeated the foe, now moved as if he anticipated the enemy's every move, and reacted accordingly. The child had completed his first lessons in the art of war.

Now, for the next step.

With Shamshel's poor corpse lying battered, broken, and ripped to shreds across multiple screens, the time had finally come for the Pilots to settle whatever scores they had against one another. Deep down, Misato had a sneaking suspicion that Shinji and Rei, _the old hands_ , wouldn't perform as well as their European counterparts in such a situation.

 _In actual combat though...experience out ranks everything. And in that way, Shinji-kun and Ayanami-san are_ _ **leagues**_ _ahead._

"I think that'll do. How about we give them a team match and a free for all?" The purplehead cast her gaze at her colleague.

Ritsuko scratched the back of her head, and nodded.

"That sounds good. Lieutenant Ibuki, get to work...load up _graveyard_."

" _Hai!_ "

The simulation faded away into blackness, Misato's face appearing on the vid link.

" _Listen up, Pilots, you're about to engage in two separate simulations. The first will be a team match, where we shall pair you off against each other. The victory conditions are total destruction of the opposing team. Similar conditions apply for the second simulation, free for all. Pain receptors will be at 1%, it won't hurt but you'll feel something. Good luck to you all."_

The new map loaded up, and it took Shinji's breath away.

A ruined city, most likely abandoned for hundreds of years, with swirling grey clouds in the heavens being pierced by still mighty skyscrapers. Everything was dead, not even weeds grew through the ruined pavement.

" _Welcome to graveyard, kids. It's an urban combat map, so use the ruins for cover and to attack. Surprise is everything here. There are two teams, team one will be Pilots Ikari and Ayanami. Team two, will be Pilots Meadow and Soryu. Prog knives and blades only. Defensive A-T fields are off. Engage at your discretion."_ The link to control, and Asuka and Samuel, were swiftly cut, leaving only himself and Rei.

"We must decide who is to take charge of our team." The blue haired girl said, fixing her red gaze upon him. Her newly materialized Eva doing the same with its single eye.

Unit 00's new paint job was most impressive. The white and the red somehow blended together perfectly, and he could tell this was a far sturdier beast compared to the prototype nearly destroyed by the 6th Seraph.

"I don't know...what about you?" Shinji shifted uncomfortably, the mere concept of command being alien to him. Mostly because of his refusal to believe he was up to the task.

"I am not versed in military strategy." Rei said.

"Neither am I!" He yelled.

"But you are more imaginative than me. Therefore, you are better for the role."

"But you don't freak out, or get scared really easily. I do-"

"I am apt for the role of a soldier, not of a general. From what I can gather, a Commander's courage does not determine the course of a battle. His ability to adapt to the situation however, is a far more important factor." Rei put plainly and bluntly, as was her way.

Shinji's eyebrows rose, then he chuckled slightly.

"You've been talking to Kensuke-san, haven't you?" His smile broadened when she nodded.

"Indeed. Aida-san has been most..." Her eyebrows knitted together. "... _informative_ on the matter."

He nodded reluctantly in acceptance of his role.

"I'll do it. We stick together, and we find a good spot to defend. Is that okay with you?" He offered.

She tilted her head at this.

"You are team leader, my opinion is irrelevant."

Shinji had to stop himself from hissing and wincing in metaphorical pain.

"Alright then, first order. Your opinion is **relevant** to me, Ayanami-chan, don't be afraid to voice it."

Something akin to shock crossed her pale expression, until she regained control and nodded.

"I take no issue with your plan." She confirmed.

"Good, because I do..." Shinji sighed.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, on the other team..._

"No no no no, I'm in command here, Asuka. I went to bloody Sandhurst remember!" Samuel exclaimed.

"Jah, an Imperial military school. Your strategies don't extend much further than _blow scheisse up, and be as over-dramatic as possible._ " Asuka said stubbornly, as the two continued to butt heads.

"At least I went to a military school! Besides, my father conquered France! I think I know what I'm doing-"

"Really, Sam? We're bringing genetics and breeding into this now? I thought you hated the Federation?"

"That's different!"

"Is it really? Besides, I graduated from the _Konig Friedrich college_ by the time I was twelve-"

"Yes, in science stuff! You are a person who believes you can win anything by running at it and stabbing it in the face!"

"It's always worked for me before!"

"That's when I don't keep you at range!"

"But...ugh...gah, this is just going round in circles..." Asuka pinched the top of her nose and groaned before continuing.

"Look, why don't we just split up? Whoever finds them first calls in the other. Will that do, _your Lordship_?" She snarked at her Imperial counterpart, who winced.

"Oh god that's cringey...I can't believe I ever insisted on being called that...fine fine, we'll do it that way. Only because I was going to suggest it myself mind you!" Samuel added with zeal.

"Oh really..." Asuka said sardonically.

* * *

The purple and white Evas moved cautiously through the dead city. Slowly peaking around corners, ready to duck out of sight should the "enemy" be there.

"Clear." Rei relayed, as the two continued to move.

The city was clearly not of an ordinary design, with most of the buildings being of the same height of the Evas, or even exceeding them. But this was not meant to be a realistic portrayal of urban combat for an Eva. It was meant to teach the Pilots the importance of surprise and minding their surroundings.

Shinji, clearly heeding what the simulation was trying to do, felt a twinge of satisfaction as they came out onto the open street.

It was a crossroad of sorts, where two lanes intersected, one running across the top of the other. From here, there was a clear line of sight to three ends of the road. A perfect point to control and lay an ambush. There was one further thing however, that made him choose this place.

"Ayanami-chan?" He said quietly and thoughtfully.

"Yes, Ikari-kun?" Was the quick response.

"Do you think it's impossible that they've split up?"

Shinji's reasoning for thinking this, was due to his interpretation of his western colleagues actions against the 7th Seraph. They both seemed desperate for glory, for the credit of bringing down the enemy to be theirs, and theirs alone.

Rei cast her memory back to peeking into the thoughts of Asuka and Samuel, and found herself agreeing with her brother's assumption.

"I think it highly likely. Both are very achievement driven, so I doubt they'd let one command the other. Could that be to our advantage?" She said as curiously, as whilst she could hear other people's thoughts, she couldn't necessarily translate them into "understanding."

Shinji nodded.

"Yes, I think it might be. Let's stay here and wait for one to show up. We take them out, and that only leaves one of them left. Two on one odds sound pretty good..."

* * *

 _Divide and conquer? Nice one, Shinji-kun._ Misato smiled, approving of her charge's decision. They'd been monitoring comms between the Units, many a chuckle elicited from the constant arguing of team two.

Shinji and Rei had somehow managed to judge the character's of their foes, and turned it against them. In fact, on the map which showed the teams movements by little white dots, the one designating Samuel was moving closer and closer to the ambush point.

How ironic she mused, these so called "Eva Pilot elites" were playing directly into the hands of someone they deemed wimpy. They'd given no thought to enemy strategy, instead only pursuing a plan of search and destroy. Whilst that was all well and good, it only worked when one had number superiority. And considering both teams had two Evas a piece, well, Misato couldn't help but smirk as Unit 03 walked into the trap.

"Hail Britain..." She muttered sarcastically.

* * *

Samuel Meadow was not a patient individual. Not that he had a raging or violent temper, but he was an easily frustrated person. And right now, as he swung around, furiously looking for his foe, he couldn't help but curse.

"Bollocks! Where are you!?" He snarled.

"Gah, nothing my end either! _Verdammt_ cowards..." Asuka growled.

 _Come on...I like a straight up fight..._

The blonde Imperial continued to fume, until, out of the corner of his eye, as he rounded the street corner, he spotted something that immensely alleviated his frustration. Directly ahead of him, stood Unit 01. It stared at him for a moment, as if in utter surprise, before bringing out its prog knife and slowly backing away.

"Gotcha!" Samuel roared as he charged, prog blade held at his side, swishing through the air with a sadistic glee. It begged for its master to give it blood, and he would not deny it.

Unit 01 stumbled backwards, as if stuck between fear and courage.

 _How weak...what on earth is a soft bugger like you doing here?_

" _Gott verdammut_ , Sam, you better leave something for me!" Asuka bellowed, thundering in his direction, being but a minute's sprint from his location.

More than enough time for team one to put it's plan into action.

He was almost on his foe now, Samuel actually being semi-impressed by Shinji's recently found courage. Not that it would avail him in anyway, as he curled both hands around his blade, and motioned to strike. A straight blow to the head, which Shinji had no way to block. His small knife would most likely shatter against his cutlass, and he hadn't moved back quick enough.

 _And the Empire wins another victory_

Then Unit 00, hidden around the corner of the cross roads, collided with him.

With a slight "ah!" he was tackled to the ground, his blade clattering out of his hands. Slamming his fist into his assailant's face, Samuel produced a satisfied snarl as Rei's head snapped back. The snarl vanished in a flash when Shinji's progressive blade descended upon his throat.

Now the Imperial had no way to defend himself.

The knife cut straight through computer generated armour, flesh and bone, almost taking Unit 03's head off. Total blackness enveloped his hud, leaving the Imperial gaping.

"What?" He said, aghast.

" _It's called an ambush, Meadow-san. And you fell for it hook line and sinker."_ Misato chuckled slightly, joined by a few other bridge crew, whilst Ritsuko simply tutted.

" _If we had to repair that, then we'd have been set back by about a billion yen. And considering that Unit 03 is the Empire's Eva, you'd be forwarding the bill. As you Imperials say, His Majesty is not made of money."_

Her words caused Samuel to seethe with resentment and rage at being beaten, his subconscious quietly chastising him for not seeing the obvious ambush laid before him.

 _I'm an officer of His Imperial Britannic Majesty's army. I am_ _ **better**_ _than this...I have to be..._

He bowed his head in resignation, sighing as he did it.

"Well now what do I do?" He moaned.

" _We're setting up a link for you to watch the rest of the battle. Better luck next time!"_ Maya responded, his hud coming back to life, giving a bird's eye view of the battlefield. He saw Asuka thundering towards the location of his corpse, Shinji and Rei disappearing back into cover as quickly as they had come.

 _Good luck, Asuka. They're smarter than you think..._

* * *

The redhead arrived on the scene some thirty seconds too late, finding only the still slightly warm body of Unit 03.

" _Scheisse_!" She roared, giving the Imperial Eva a kick.

 _Got your arse handed to you by two out of date Units? Gott, I'll never let you hear the end of this!_

Cautiously scanning the area, the freckled girl backed off slowly, despite her subconscious screaming at her to put these glory hogs in their place. But, as she reminded it, she couldn't do that if she were beaten. And thus Asuka decided to use her not inconsiderable intellect to deal with this situation. Long ago, she'd never have been capable of doing this, but after years of being around Imperial military officers, Samuel in particular, that cool sense of snobbish intelligence had worn off on her.

Not to mention, after the blonde aristocrat had convinced her to listen to her lecturers in college, she'd picked up a lot.

 _When the board isn't in your favour, throw it on its side._

Drawing out two progressive knives, she ran at one of the especially tall buildings and thrust them into it, using them as supports. She began to climb, jamming her feet through crumbling plaster and steel beams. Asuka knew she had to be quick, or else she'd be spotted before reaching the top.

But no such thing occurred.

Arriving at the top of the skyscraper, she crouched, only just fitting on the top of it, and got a proper look at her surroundings. To her surprise, she saw nothing. No sign of them hiding down some road or alleyway, waiting to ambush her. Nothing at all.

Now that was truly concerning.

 _They know I'm up here...they must do. So where are they?_

She suddenly found herself losing balance. Grasping onto the edge of the building, Asuka realised it wasn't of her own doing that she felt her grip slip. For the sky scraper was literally collapsing after two great vibrations rumbled through it.

 _Clever bastards! Going to bury me alive are you?_ Her subconscious snarled, throwing herself up onto the building's side, the one which was now facing skywards. Running along it, back down towards the centre, she spotted Unit 00 and Unit 01 standing at the bottom, a collapsing sky scraper standing between them.

 _They're separated...now's my chance._

Asuka jumped, with at least two hundred metres between her and the ground. Both knives held in hand, she sailed through the air and landed on an unfortunate Unit 00.

Rei had seen her coming, but was not able to react quick enough. Parrying aside the thrust out prog knife with one of its own, the black behemoth crashed into the white titan, the other blade stabbing down into its chest.

As someone who'd piloted Evas for years, the redhead knew a great deal about her chosen profession, especially all the weak spots of them. And she knew, that if you destroyed the core, the Unit died completely. Hence, once her prog knife descended into Unit 00's chest, the enemy Eva stopped functioning. The light in its eyes died.

 _One down...one to go..._

Throwing herself back, she evaded the grasp of Unit 01 as it smashed through the collapsed ruin, charging directly at her. Shinji held his knife with both hands, the sign of someone who knew what they were doing, but not one who was professional.

 _Experienced militia...nicely put, Sam._

Never one to back down from a fight, she counter charged the purple monster, attempting to repeat her previous strategy. But instead, Shinji grasped her other hand before it could stab his core, and almost knocked her off her feet. Barely holding her balance, Asuka struggled with him, lashing out at his legs with her own, and sweeping them out from underneath him.

Shinji, not fighting his fall, put all his weight forward much to her surprise, and pushed her to the ground, taking advantage of her own temporary imbalance. The redhead cursed her momentary lapse of judgement, attempting to wrestle with the mere idea of being beaten.

 _I can't be...I can't be...I have to be the best!_

For a second, Unit 01 froze, knife held in hand and ready to stab her eyes out. Asuka, not at all wondering why he was doing that, slashed out with her free hand, her prog knife cutting straight through her foe's throat. Blue blood splattered on her hud as she violently pushed him off, unleashing her fury in a heartbeat.

She hadn't pinned him to the ground, like he'd done with her, but the great Asuka Zeppelin Soryu needed no such advantage. Before he could respond or even think of any new strategies to make her day more difficult, she sank her knives into the purple helmet again and again, until there was nothing left but mangled blood, flesh, and steel. Breathing heavily, she made Unit 02 rise to a standing position, triumphant and unbowed. A position she hoped to maintain no matter what. Looking down upon the ruined corpses of her foe, she was impressed with both herself and them, as they'd come so close to victory, yet her capability had won it back.

It was a lesson life had taught her long ago. Nothing was yours in this world, you had to fight, struggle, and endure to even get a scrap of whatever you thought you deserved. You had to **earn** something to gain it.

It was the law of the jungle, and the law of many modern societies. And Asuka held to that law in her own way.

The simulation faded away, leaving her back inside the metal plug. Leaning back into her seat with a contented smile, the freckled girl didn't say anything as the vid link to her fellow Pilots and control was re-established, impressed looking staff on the other end.

Misato had her arms folded, as always in such situations. Not that it was difficult to gain praise from the purplehead, as Asuka well knew, having been her charge for a few months. It was just...in military terms it was difficult to gain such things from the hardened soldier. And it was that sort of praise the fifteen year old girl was so desperate for.

Piloting was her life, and she sought some validation from it.

" _That could have gone wrong in so many ways...but not bad at all, Soryu-san. Although to be fair, team one really should have pulled that off..."_ Misato proceeded to quietly laugh, earning a tilt of the head from Asuka.

"What?" She said, totally oblivious to the command crew's joke.

" _I know it must have been embarrassing for you, Shinji-kun, but you shouldn't hesitate."_ Their commanding officer said gently, the boy in question turnein bright red.

"What's she talking about, someone answer me!" The redhead barked, as on the other vid links, Shinji squirmed, Rei didn't seem bothered, and Samuel nervously twiddled his thumbs.

"Now you're going to laugh about this in years to come-" The Imperial said, slight desperation in his tone, as control decided to put the German pilot out of her misery. Upon her hud, a recording flickered into existence. It was some footage from their "sparring", as she would call it, specifically the moment when they'd toppled to the ground, and her opponent had paused, sealing his fate.

Asuka now saw the reason for this, and it incensed her beyond imagination. For the purple Eva had fallen upon the black monster in such a manner, that it occupied the space between her legs quite nicely...

Shinji remarkably turned from bright red to white as a ghost in a heartbeat.

"I'm so sorry, Soryu-san, I didn't mean to it, was an accident-" He raised his hands in an attempt to placate his comrade. For what good it did, as she began screaming at him.

" **I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you, Third!? Well just you wait, when we're done here I will rip your tiny manhood off and sew it into your mouth! If you even have one!"**

Massaging his eyebrows, Samuel shook his head.

"If any of you are wondering, yes, she is usually like this."

The rage and the laughter would have lasted for a long time, where Shinji not metaphorically saved by the bell. A bell he didn't really want to hear at that moment.

A siren echoed throughout the facility as Caspar boomed " _Code blue, I repeat Code blue. Seraphim signature detected!"_

There was a slight freeze on the control deck, all eyes turning to Misato. Aside from Ritsuko, who did her usual thing of tutting and continuing to look through her files.

"I suppose we're going to have to postpone that free for all. Pilots, get to your Evas and prepare to sortie." She barked, stalking out the room along with the other combat essential staff, making for the command bridge.

The plug hatches were opened, and the children got out as quickly as possible, with only two of them truly grasping the severity of the situation. As for the German and the Imperial, they were practically buoyant.

"No stupid sea to get in my way this time. Finally you two will see how **real** Eva Pilot elites get things done." Asuka said proudly, LCL dripping from her plugsuit and long hair, her delight at the certainty of combat taking her mind off her previous, embarrassing, situation.

Shinji and Rei stayed behind them, the boy being semi-taken aback as to how fearless they were towards the situation, and, in a way...unprofessional.

 _Seriously, the world is on the brink of oblivion and you're worrying about your pride? Even after that last one nearly killed us both!?_

"Of course, we'll make sure you both have a nice, safe, seat to watch it all from. Don't worry, Shinji, we'll protect you." Samuel added with a cocky grin as they entered the cages, which actually made the boy in question sigh in slight annoyance.

"Overconfidence like that will get you killed." Shinji's cerulean eyes narrowed, even when the redhead whirled around on him, wagging a playful yet threatening finger.

"Hah, don't worry, Third, I can take care of myself. I am going to make a debut that'll ring down through history, and you get to watch it. And if you mess it up, **in any way** , you'll wish you'd never been born, **boy**."

After a few moments of silence, the room resounded with a low whistle, produced by a non-human voice.

For NERV's AI found herself highly entertained.

" _Do I need to turn the fans on? Because all that hot air just put the temperature up to dangerous levels..."_


	35. 9:3 Humiliation

_7:00pm, State of Japan, fifty miles south-west of Tokyo-3_

It was a testament to NERV's technological prowess, to have their Evangelions be deployed in less than ten minutes. The various DL's or "deployment lifts", stretched out to strategically important points across a one hundred square mile radius. In a matter of seconds, the biomech monstrosities could be transported to wherever they were needed, along with their equipment, making the actual preparation take up most of the time.

Establishing a Pilot Link took about thirty seconds, bringing all functions online took another minute, and a further eight minutes or so were required to move the Evangelion onto the necessary lift.

Barely a minute ago, he'd been slotted onto the launch pad back in central, and now he found himself overlooking the coast, marked by the remains of a sunken settlement.  
 _  
I wonder who lived here?_ Shinji thought sadly. He chastised himself, there were more pressing matters to deal with than the ghosts of Second Impact. He, Rei, Asuka, and Samuel, had taken up a defensive position made up of two lines. The first being made up of Units 02 and 03, as they were technologically superior and controlled by more talented Pilots. Behind them, were himself and Rei, being the most experienced and therefore the reserves, rear guard, or last line of defence.

Shinji hoped in his heart that he wouldn't be required for any of those roles.

 _Soryu-san and Meadow-san can handle this. Their Pilot Link's are far higher than mine anyway.._

However, a part of his mind, buried deep with his subconscious, nagged away at him.

 _You saw what they were like in the simulation, and against the 7th Seraph. Overeager, arrogant, bull headed, and easily led. Spirits on high, they won't survive._

The boy had no idea why such things were plaguing him at that moment, why his heart twisted in worry as he watched the black and blue Evangelions take up their positions some sixteen hundred metres away.

They halted directly in the flooded ruins, while himself and Rei resided in the surrounding hills. He felt a great deal more at ease knowing his experienced wingman was currently holding the positron rifle, and prepared to provide covering fire.

An "Angel" as the westerners called it, was watching over them all that day, Shinji mused.

" _Enemy is one click out from your location. Are you ready, Pilots?"_ Misato said sternly over vid link.

A chorus of " _Yes ma'am"_ , " _Jawohl"_ , and " _Ryokai"_ responded immediately, much to the purplehead's satisfaction.

" _Damn good, show the Seraphim why you don't mess with NERV."_ The link cut, leaving Shinji with the faces of his three colleagues. Once again, his mind dwelt upon the two gaijn, and how utterly unaware they were of what was coming. They seemed quite happy actually, exchanging snarks over "whose kill this would be."

Despite his feelings being quite neutral on them, something powerful was stirred within him, upon looking at their cheerful faces.

He felt...protective of them...

"What, Third?" Asuka's voice snapped him back into the present, as she'd noticed his mournful staring at them.

"Oh, nothing. Are...you okay down there?" He forced his expression into something more positive.

"Perfectly fine. Just sit tight and enjoy the show." Samuel flashed a grin, then refocused on the sea, seeing a geyser of water slowly rise.

 _Come on then beasty..._

The Seraph emerged from beneath the waves, its form more familiar to Shinji than the three previous ones, but still alien. It was humanoid, but its arms were bent in a U shape, seeming rigid and inflexible, its "head" being located more towards the centre of its torso.

It looked large and cumbersome, although he well knew how deceptive size could be when it came to these things.

" _First line, engage!"_ Misato barked, to which the black and blue Evas responded immediately.

"Dibs!" Asuka yelled, being countered by a playful "sod off!" from Samuel. Much to Shinji's surprise, he found himself groaning in exasperation, gaining a tilt of the head from Rei.

They weren't moving as one, they were racing ahead of each other, desperate to get to grips with the enemy before anyone else. The Seraph didn't seem fazed by this still impressive and intimidating sight, in fact it didn't respond at all. It just stood there, almost as if it were...analysing them. This didn't last long however, as Asuka unsheathed what appeared to be a long, sharp, staff from her back compartment and leapt into the air, whilst the aristocrat charged directly at the Seraph, thrusting his prog blade into a solid wall of orange lightening.

Still, the enemy did nothing but observe, even as its field began to fail. Then Unit 02 descended upon it from on high, staff ripping straight through its field, and then its body. To the shock of all the older hands, the Seraph was vertically bisected, only a small piece of flesh keeping the two halves held together. There was silence across the comms, even Rei leaning forward slightly, semi-surprised things had gone this well.

 _This was...unexpected._

Soon enough the peace was shattered however, as Asuka jubilated, whilst her colleague fumed.

"I'm going to put my statue **right here**! Is that the best you can do, Seraph!?" She said boisterously, grinning like a maniac and revelling in the shower of blue blood she'd created.

"God damn you, Asuka, you stole my kill!" Samuel folded his arms and slumped into his seat in something akin to a "controlled strop."

"Your kill? Who was just sitting there getting nowhere whilst I, the great Asuka Zeppelin Soryu, saved the world?"

"Fine, I get rights to the next one. I've bloody well earned it-" Shinji blocked out the rest of it, focusing his gaze on the Seraph's corpse, unable to look away.

"Well I'll be damned." He titled his head, still trying to believe the enemy was dead, whilst his subconscious remained stubborn, screaming at him that this wasn't over.

"Misato-san, something's not right..." He gently tightened his grip around his control sticks.

" _I think I agree with you, Shinji-kun...Soryu-san, Meadow-san, pull back. I'm going to have Ayanami-san hit it with a positron blast, just to be sure-"_ All that unease was soon proven to be entirely well founded.

The Seraph **divided** into two separate beings.

Both were similar to the original form, but one was far larger than the other, one of its arms contorting into a giant, spiky and bony hammer, which was held by the other arm. The other Seraph was approximately two thirds of its size, possessing something akin to a genuine head on a neck and shoulders, covered in a beak like bony helm, with a feathery red crest exploding from the back of its head. A spear of orange lightening ignited in its grip.

The twin Heirs, Israfel and Isrefael, looked upon their foes, feeling the excitement of battle course through their veins.

 _ **Which one is to be yours?**_ Israfel, the larger, boomed.

 _ **The blue one. It's arrogance is offensive to me.**_ Isrefael noted.

 _ **Hah, the black one for me then! Good luck brother!**_

 _ **Likewise.**_

The two brothers charged. All whilst a sigh echoed throughout their heads.

 _ **...immature and impetuous as always, my Heirs...**_ Haniel said despairingly.

The western pilots barely had time to throw themselves back from the lightening like attack, a spear of orange energy thrust into thin air where Samuel's torso had been scarcely seconds before.

Whilst his mind was busy concocting a way to deal with this new found problem, his mouth was already yelling "Can someone please explain what's going on!?" This was cut short by the much larger Seraph hurtling past its smaller counterpart, and swinging its hammer downwards whilst he was off balance. The Imperial barely had time to raise his blade to block the strike, before being nonetheless slammed to the ground.

" _Line one withdraw and regroup!"_ Misato yelled over and over again, the situation slipping away from their control.

Samuel was in no position to obey, and Asuka couldn't hear her. The redhead was already throwing herself at Israfel. Isrefael moved in front of his brother and stabbed outwards, forcing Asuka to block with her A-T field thereby stopping her attack, keeping her in mid-air just long enough for the larger Divine to swing his great hammer round, catch her in the shoulder, and fling her across the landscape like a rag-doll.

Whilst she roared in pain, provoking anger in the aristocrat, he did manage to put her diversion to use and scramble away before he could be crushed like an insect.

Gripping his blade tightly, he backed away from the monstrosities, sweating with mental exertion as he began to realise Imperial honour might not survive this day unscathed.

Asuka came thundering back out of the crater her Eva had made, snarling and roaring with anger at these beasts who dared disrupt her victory. Or at least, that was how she rationalised her fury, not all being driven by the practically outmatched and nigh helpless blue Eva as it became cornered like a rat...

Before she could reach them however, the two Seraphim clearly sensed the danger.

 _ **Your one's got back up!**_

 _ **Indeed, let's deal with this one quickly!**_

From his free hand, Isrefael ignited what appeared to be another spear, only to heft it aloft and throw it, as if he were Zeus the ancient Greek Lord of the Sky himself. Samuel barely had time to block it with his blade and A-T field, years of cricket practice coming into use at that moment. But the sheer strength of the blast nearly knocked him off his feet, being the Pilot of the lightest Evangelion Unit. He was in a combat situation it was never designed for, and the Seraphim were capitalising on it. Emphasized by his being thrown off balance, unable to move for a few critical moments, then being smashed with that infernal hammer again.

Samuel's A-T field was all that saved him as he was brutally "brushed" aside. Unit 03 bent and twisted in ways it was never meant to, flying across the sunken settlement, landing face first into the ruins of an old hospital. His blade left half a kilometre behind him, as the boy lost consciousness due to banging his head savagely.

The twin Heirs had little time to enjoy this small victory, as Unit 02 was upon them in a heartbeat, its pilot screaming like a Valkyrie. The initial swipe of her prog knives didn't even make contact with their A-T fields as they automatically side stepped, according to instincts honed after thousands of years of battle.

Asuka rolled as she landed, a spear and a hammer landing where she'd just been seconds before, her own instincts being highly attuned to a combat situation. As a pilot, as a warrior, she was sublime. Swipes, thrusts, and smashes, were things she weaved around like water...but only just. For even the best would struggle against the twin Heirs, they whose souls were so close and attuned to one another, they acted almost as one. Nevertheless, her blades did impact their fields, and landed the occasional slight cut when she managed to push her field through a chink in theirs.

" _Pilot Soryu, I am ordering you to withdraw!"_ Misato voice actually crackled due to the sheer volume of her frustration. Of course, the redhead paid it no mind.

"I'd rather die than retreat!" She snapped back, her own mind racing through one thought over and over again.

 _I can't lose, I can't lose, I can't lose..._

"Damn it!" Misato snarled, her fist clenching in anger. She sincerely regretted putting those two in the front line now, these two whilst talented Pilots who couldn't show a hint of team work or obedience. And now, this was interfering with her recently made plan.

"Ayanami-san, the moment you get a clear shot you take it. Pin them in place, whilst Shinji-kun gets Meadow-san and Soryu-san out of there. Do you understand?"

" _Ryokai._ " Was the quiet response.

"Shinji-kun, move on my command." Misato ordered.

" _Ryokai_!" Shinji acknowledged.

The female soldier noted the instantaneous response of the two with some satisfaction, then focused on the ongoing battle from deep within NERV Central. Quickly glancing at Makoto, she gave another order.

"Are the JSA ready?"

" _Hai_ , Lieutenant Colonel. It took them a couple of minutes but they're ready to advance when you give the order...as per General Motichka's allowance..." He winced slightly upon remembering the brief argument between the NERV officer and the Japanese General over who was to command the JSA in such operations. It had lasted a minute or so, before Chiso yielded and gave **temporary** command of the forces stationed in and around the capital to Misato.

The purplehead had wanted to be a soldier for as long as she could remember, being raised on action films and such that her parents would use to amuse her for a while. Such things had been one of the few constants during their relationship's breakdown and divorce, giving the at the time twelve year old girl a good deal of comfort. Perhaps it was from that, the desire to make something of her life, to prove herself in the most harrowing of situations, to be a father to her men, to be better than the father who abandoned her, came from.

At least...until that awful day in Antarctica...

Bringing her mind back to the present, she nodded and returned her gaze to the holographic display.

 _Meadow-san is unconscious, Soryu-san won't follow orders, and the only proficient pilots I have can't do anything! Spirits, why must you make my life so difficult!?_

She comforted herself however. Soon enough, Asuka would probably slip up and get smacked across the battlefield. Then they could at least deal some heavy damage to the enemy, the likelihood of killing them not at all being out of the question.

 _Just be ready you two..._

Asuka continued to fight for a further two minutes, never once considering even the faintest suggestion of defeat or retreat, in fact the thing she fought most was turning her gaze upon the battered and bludgeoned Imperial Eva...

But then, she made a mistake. After ducking beneath a hammer blow, she'd lashed out at the smaller one, which leaned backwards on its left leg before propelling itself forward, spear driving straight through weakened by constant contact A-T field, and puncturing a good few metres of her armour.

She howled in pain as something akin to electricity coursed through the Eva and therefore herself. For a few moments she was paralysed, as was Isrefael's intent, allowing Israfel to take advantage of his younger brother's strike. The hammer impacted the Eva's black jaw, causing it to snap back as the monster was thrown straight off its feet and flat onto its back. Asuka herself was dazed, desperately trying to fight off the urge to close her eyes and yield to unconsciousness.

 _Nein verdammut! If I do that I'm dead!_

Before they could finish her off however, the brothers noticed a new threat. One which hurtled towards them in an arc of positron energy that had slain their elder sister with one blow some months before. They dived in opposite directions, rolling and regaining balance with utter grace as the ground upon which they stood was vaporised.

But Israfel's knee buckled slightly...well, what was left of his knee.

 _ **Brother, are you alright!?**_ Isrefael gave a panicked glance at the hissing in pain Divine.

 _ **Up...heh...on that...heh...hill...kill it...**_

The younger Divine complied without hesitation, thundering forwards at lightening speed, past the dazed Unit 02 and directly at Unit 00.

Rei fired again, utterly annihilating yet more picturesque Japanese country side, but Isrefael darted and pirouetted around these blasts perfectly, closing the distance between the two at an alarming rate. Shinji found himself on edge, ready to move in between them if necessary before Misato gave her orders.

" _Shinji-kun, engage! Do not let that thing near the positron rifle. Ayanami-san, concentrate fire on the big one, don't let it finish off Units 02 and 03!"_

" _Ryokai!_ " They responded immediately, and set to work.

The albino realigned the targeting pip on her hud, fixing it on the partially regenerated but still lumbering Divine. She ignored the swiftly incoming smaller Seraph, as she'd been ordered to, and obeyed without question. Although, another thought gave her surprising comfort.

 _Ikari-kun is with me. He will protect me..._

Her assertion was proven correct, as the Seraph had to roll out of Unit 01's charge, darting backwards to avoid a mighty punch. Whilst her brother kept it occupied, Rei closed her finger around her control stick's trigger, and fired upon the other Seraph, whom had been lumbering towards the helpless Unit 02. Once again, it sensed the danger, and used its own A-T field to blast itself away from where the positron beam would strike, just a few dozen metres from where Asuka was slowly regaining control of her Eva and herself.

 _I swear, if you've even scratched the paint..._

With great effort she hauled herself up, her head still feeling quite dizzy from the whole "being stabbed with lightening and hit with a really large hammer" thing. Both of her prog knives had been scattered across the battlefield, far out of reach at this moment, making her options in continuing the engagement limited. But the redhead had never, nor would she ever be, someone who just "gave up."

Asuka flexed her great black hands, curling them into fists which could pound through ten metre thick sheets of titanium with ease. She was within a hundred and sixty metre tall killing machine, one that put fear into the hearts of the gods, and she would not be denied her deserved triumph. However, her ascent was incredibly slow, stars still being present in her eyes as a result of taking a blow to the chin that would have shattered mountains. All whilst being utterly unaware the only reason she was still alive, was because of Rei keeping Israfel from finishing her off.

Meanwhile, its smaller sibling felt his blood boil in anger upon seeing the purple and white monster.

This was it, what slew Sachiel, Shamshel and Ramiel. Now, their souls would have vengeance. As would Gaghiel when the two could get round to the black and blue ones.

 _ **By the gods, no other shall die by your hand purple devil!**_

Isrefael charged his opponent, his smaller and lighter form making him much faster than Unit 01, which was quite a new experience for Shinji. Having a foe who lacked his strength but utterly surpassed his speed was bizarre, the fact that it basically forced him to be more stationary being somewhat welcome. It meant he only had to focus on one thing.

He blocked the Seraph's strike with his A-T field, angling it in such a manner the spear slid off, with its wielder having to dart backwards from an incoming punch, using its own field to block the strike and push itself back. It paced around him for a few moments, like a predatory animal, a master in the art of death, looking for any weakness.

It suddenly lunged forward, attempting to stab into Shinji's leg, only for the much larger Eva to leap forward and slam into it with its own body weight. Knocking the foe clean off its feet, the boy tried to stab down with his newly unsheathed prog knife, before screaming in pain as the spear went into his side.

A typhoon of energy threw him off, with the Seraph trying to get to its feet.

 _I can't give it an inch!_

In a few moments, something akin to a plan formed in Shinji's mind. His enemy had positioned itself in such a way, that its back faced the sea where Unit 02 and 03 resided, and the unfortunate larger Seraph being bombarded by positron fire.

 _ **Gah...will you just...piss off!?**_

 _If I can just get it down there...I can keep them away from Rei and help evacuate the other two...holy shit, that isn't a bad plan..._

Putting it into action, he thundered forward, despite the pain of his internal organs sizzling. He caught the Seraph as it was still trying to regain its balance, causing them both to tumble over each other down the hill, permanently deforming and defacing the picturesque Japanese country side.

"Misato-san, I'm going to try and get them out! Ayanami-chan, cover me!" He barked into his vid link as they reached the bottom of the hill, and their rolling stopped.

" _Alright, Shinji-kun, good luck! Ayanami-san, keep up the pressure, like he said."_ Misato accepted her charge's plan.

" _Ryokai, Lieutenant Colonel."_ Rei acknowledged.

With Isrefael dazed for a few critical minutes, Shinji urged himself over to Unit 02's side, getting down on knee as he tried to take one of its black arms over its shoulder.

"Soryu-san, are you alright?" He said, concerned. All he gained for his trouble was the black Eva shaking him off as its Pilot growled.

"I don't need your help, **Third**." She snarled, her dizziness finally fading away.

"Oh, because you've been doing so brilliantly without it! We've been ordered to retreat, and that's what we're going to do!" He snapped back, his patience with these gaijn being worn away more and more as time went past.

"Then retreat you coward. I will not be defeated...not by anything-" Asuka kept trying to brush him off.

At that moment, Shinji lost his temper. Firmly grasping the shoulders of Unit 02, he forced it to look at his own searing gaze.

"If you stay here, you die..." He then glanced at the still knocked out Unit 03, before looking back at her.

" **Both of you.** "

The two held eye contact for a few moments, until Unit 02's four eyes, and those of its Pilot, lowered in something akin to defeat.

"Damn it." Its pilot hissed.

Never being one for enjoying victory, Shinji accepted this and hauled Asuka off the ground, taking a quick glance at the smaller Seraph, still weakly trying to rise to its feet, only to keep falling back down.

"Lieutenant Colonel, I'm almost out of ammunition for the rifle. I have three shots left." Rei relayed.

" _Damn it...hoped it would last a bit longer...take out the smaller one."_

" _Ryokai_."

The albino began the painstakingly slow readjustment of the heavy rifle, her hud lining up an ideal trajectory on Isrefael. It had been almost beyond belief how flexible and fast the larger Seraph could be, quite artfully throwing itself out of her fire's way at just the right time. It would take a minute to readjust, but clearly the smaller Seraph wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Shinji and Asuka stood before Israfel, finally free from bombardment, who looked upon them with no small amount of frustration in his black eyes.

 _ **Oh, have you decided to fight me with some degree of honour now!?**_

The ground shook as he charged, the desire to splatter their brains across the countryside being too much to resist for the large Divine.

"I'll take this one, you get Meadow-san!" Shinji barked at his German colleague, before countering the Seraph's charge, sliding under the strike of its hammer as their fields flared upon making contact with one another.

Asuka, fought against her lust for combat, darting around the vicious melee and making straight for her incapacitated colleague, whose vid link showed him still sleeping like a baby.

"Sam, wake up!" She snapped, shaking the blue Evangelion for added effect. Gaining absolutely nothing in response.

"Ugh, that was just a tap!" She rolled her eyes in annoyance, throwing the a hundred and sixty metre long monster over her back. The weight was one of the heaviest she'd ever lifted, but it was not nearly enough to bend her. She couldn't move as fast, but still due to its sheer size the Eva moved faster than any other living creature. Well, save for the Seraphim...

Whenever the hammer hit the ground, massive craters were forged as the earth itself shook from the blow. Shinji knew he'd be pulverised if he stayed still for too long, however his goal was not to kill this thing, but delay it. To buy precious time for the other two to get clear.

All he could really do was dodge, there was no chance of blocking the enemy's strike, and there was little chance that it would even let him get close enough to jab it with his tiny prog knife. Meanwhile, Israfel was continuously rumbling to himself.

 _ **Just attack me, or stay still...gah, where is Isrefael when you need him!?**_

 _ **Roughly a league ahead of you on that beach if you wish to know. He's somewhat dazed...**_

Haniel answered, his own conversation with the weaker Divine Heir not being very enlightening.

 _ **What? After a little fall like that? Honestly we wrestled each other in our youth far more roughly.**_

He caught a glimpse of his brother quietly lying by the sea, as he fought off his chronic dizziness.

 _ **As helpless as he was in the womb...my poor brother...oh gods.**_ The realisation suddenly struck Israfel harder than what he imagined would be a fist in the face from father.

The enemy had stopped shooting with their powerful weapon for a while now, meaning two things. That they had run out of ammunition...or had changed target.

The Divine Heir charged, Shinji swerving around him with an ease brought only from experience. What he didn't expect was for his foe to continue barrelling past him towards its smaller counterpart, snatching up the nigh helpless creature and throwing them both out of the Positron rifle's final blast. The area where they'd been, was now nought but a charred and blackened ruin. At great personal risk to itself, the larger Seraph had saved its comrade, and was now tenderly cradling it, as if trying to wake it up.

The boy did not dwell on this however. As a soldier, you had to attend to such things before or after battle, and **never** during it. Hence why, the moment he had an opening to withdraw, Shinji took it without question.

"Everyone get to the lifts, they're distracted!" He roared over the comms, with Misato commanding that said lifts be prepared for their arrival.

Asuka and Samuel had just reached the crest of the hill, right where Rei was as she gently retrieved the positron rifle. In approximately ten seconds, Shinji had crossed the ground between him and his squad mates, not daring to look back as he knew in his heart the Seraphim were now in pursuit.

In that respect he was correct.

They were not sprinting, just murderously pacing towards their enemy, clearly enjoying the fear they put into their enemy's hearts. But even then, it was far too late for the Twin Heirs to catch their prey. And they knew it.

"We're clear!" Shinji barked. The four Evas, one being held over another's shoulder, engaged in something akin to a sprinting match, having now crested the hill, as the armoured forces of the JSA rumbled past them and assumed position on the ridge, five Susanoos hovering above them. With an almighty roar, they let loose their war song upon the enemy who threatened their homeland, with just as much success as they did before. But this was only to buy time for something else...

The two Seraphim watched their prey scramble away from them in a mad dash to safety, as the much weaker forces of the _Vooren_ engaged with reckless courage. This was a victory, a first step towards the reclamation of _Ejrod_ , the restoration of their people's honour, and the avenging of their siblings. Even as three N2 mines hurtled towards them, Israfel and Isrefael were not troubled. For they had achieved nothing less than the utter humiliation of the enemy. Now...soon...they had to see to their ruin.

* * *

 _7:45pm, NERV Central, briefing room_

Upon the digital board, the slide show continued to play, images of the two freshly arrived Evas having what could be described as "the snot kicked out of them."

The four Pilots had taken a position in front of the board, Samuel and Rei having assumed a military stance, legs snapped together, backs straight, arms held behind their backs. Asuka sat on a foldable chair, looking both thoughtful and irritated, whilst Shinji leaned against the wall, his expression disapproving, his arms folded.

He didn't feel "better" than them, nor was he regretful that they were still alive. But frustration had almost completely overtaken his heart.

They'd outnumbered the enemy two to one, and these _baka_ had utterly lost. They would have died, without question, where he and Rei not present. In some ways it was as Samuel said, he was militia. Called up at a moment's notice to be used as cannon fodder until the regulars arrived. But, unlike these well trained, well equipped colleagues of theirs, Shinji and Rei had one very crucial thing which the Imperial and the German didn't. Something which, in a way, made them totally outrank the "rookies."

Experience.

"So..." Vice Commander Fuyutsuki began with a sigh. Around him stood the other superior officers of NERV, or "Section 1's." The other three Sub Commanders stood around him, gathered together in this small place for a very important session. In the corner of course, was UNIS agent Ryoji Kaji, who looked faintly bemused by the whole situation. He was there to carry out his official purpose of reporting back to the United Nations on NERV's doings.

"Despite seeing what occurred from the command bridge, I would very much like to hear your perspective on the battle." The old man said thoughtfully, and understandingly. For whilst this was a gargantuan issue, let it never be said that he was unfair. Hence why most of NERV's staff far preferred him over Gendo.

The four children were quiet for a while, until Rei spoke up in her usual calm and controlled demeanor.

"We engaged the enemy in a two line formation. As Pilots Soryu and Meadow were considered superior for straight up combat, they were placed ahead of myself and Ikari-kun. The enemy proceeded to... _divide-_ " She took a quick look at the image which displayed the Seraph splitting into two separate entities, as if she were still struggling to believe it.

"-and overpowered both Units 02 and 03. Therefore myself and Ikari-kun were ordered to support and cover a retreat. As we are all standing here without grievous injury, I think the operation was a resounding success, although...it may have been an easier task if my colleagues had obeyed orders-"

From his corner of the room, Shinji could sense Asuka's rage boil over as she abruptly stood up and pointed a finger at the albino.

"Shut up, _dummkopf_ , I could have taken them, I didn't need your help-"

"Considering you were seconds away from death, Soryu-san, I highly doubt it. Continue, Ayanami-san." Kozo silenced her with the raising of his hand, allowing Rei to proceed whilst Samuel glared at her with his cold blue eyes.

"Today the enemy operated as a unit, and we did not. I believe that is the primary cause of our defeat." The blue haired girl bowed her head slightly.

"Do you concur with your colleague's assessment, Ikari-san?" The old man turned his gaze upon Shinji, who responded immediately.

"I do, Vice Commander." He confirmed.

Despite his words, the ire of the two foreigners was still fixed upon the clone, with Samuel's fists trembling slightly, muttering "barbarian" under his breath, and Asuka fixing her with a glare.

"Oh it'll be a cold day in hell before I let a **doll** lecture me!" She snarled.

Shinji's previously distant gaze snapped up, sheer, bottomless fury in his heart.

" **What did you just call her!?** " He roared.

" **Enough!** " Kozo's voice took on a surprising sternness, causing total silence to descend upon the room.

"Now that I have your attention, know this. The JSA's N2 strike has badly damaged the enemy, but make no mistake they will recover. They will be knocking on our door in about a week's time, I hope by then you might actually start treating this situation as adults, not children stroking their egos." Harshness filtered into that old voice.

"You dare speak to a member of the Imperial nobility in such a manner?" The blonde boy's eyebrows narrowed, as he did not take too kindly to being called a "child." Not when he'd worked so hard, for so very long, to shake off that title. Especially after being brushed aside and having to be carried off the field by someone that was once regarded as a possible enemy of the Empire.

Kozo blinked, disapprovingly.

"Meadow-san, in the words of your father, whom I have only just spoken to, _you are a soldier, act like one_."

Any response Samuel had died in his throat at those words, utter shame and guilt overcoming all of his other senses. He quietened his tongue, and bowed his head in submission.

The old man massaged his eyebrows for a few moments before finishing the sorry display.

"You have approximately seven days to get whatever issues you have with one another straightened out. Neither myself, nor the Commander, will tolerate any more of this petulance. Mankind's survival is at stake...your quests for glory come a long way behind that. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a chorus of " _Hai_ " from Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, with of course Samuel giving a curt "Yes, sir."

Accepting what he could get, Kozo nodded.

"Dismissed."

The four children filed out of the room, leaving only the NERV Command staff and the UNIS Agent.

"Any suggestions?" His old gravelly voice inquired.

Misato immediately responded with drill like precision. It had come to her charge's surprise to learn she was actually a Sub Commander, specifically that of Section 3, of armed security.

"Vice Commander, I would recommend extensive team building exercises. They need to work as a unit if we're going to get through this." She put bluntly.

"Seconded. I saw a few too many squads get wiped out by the Chinese because of things like that." Shiro added.

Kozo looked back and forth between the two seasoned soldiers, accepting their advice.

 _I suppose we have no other choice...team building...SEELE will not take this lightly. I need to get Ikari back here to smooth things over with them._

It was irritating how often the Supreme Commander had to disappear, but it was necessary. On this particular day, he'd been in talks with Kotai Industries, attempting to acquire some resources from them. The old man did find himself a little bothered by the situation. Granted, they couldn't lose, the scrolls had stated as much. But he really did wish these children wouldn't make things any more difficult than they had to, and possibly prove a prophecy as old as the sands wrong through their immaturity.

 _Although considering their histories...that sort of behaviour is hardly surprising._ He grimly reminded himself. But then, the Vice Commander cheered himself up, reckoning he had an idea which would most certainly help the "team building" in the short term...as for long term, well...the furthest NERV thought ahead was December 31st 2017, so it wasn't overly relevant. Besides, as according to the scenario, fixing some personal problems for now but cause the development of later ones could be useful...

"Very well then, Katsuragi-san, I leave our newcomers in **your** hands..." He couldn't help but grin slightly as his mind went over all the necessary paper work and hologram conversations that needed doing for what was about to be done.

Misato looked confused for a moment, then her brown eyes widened. Ritsuko let out a loud "Hah!" whilst a few others sniggered.

"Vice Commander...you can't be serious...in **my** house?"

* * *

The two gaijn chattered at the same volume they'd had upon coming in to the cages over an hour ago. But now, instead of jovial bragging, there was only grumblings of frustration and anger. All of which clawed down Shinji's spine, his own anger slowly building up to a boiling point. Rei easily recognized this, as she'd never seen the child of her progenitor behave in such a way, as if he wanted to strike something, anything.

It...frightened her.

However, Shinji was among those who could somewhat read her body language, and he felt some pangs of guilt at, what was to him, her clear discomfort.

"I'm alright, Ayanami-chan." He offered quietly.

"Have Pilots Meadow and Soryu made you angry?" She asked, something akin to timidness in her voice.

"We'll talk about it later."

Behind them, Asuka continued to fume whilst her friend did something similar, except he reflected a little more on his actions. Both her fists were balled as the Vice Commander's words cut through her mind like a knife through butter.

 _I'm not a child! I'm an elite, the best of the best! I had everything under control, I didn't need any help,_ _ **I don't need anyone's help!**_

"I don't understand, I am an Eva Pilot elite. How the hell did I lose to a cheap trick like that?" She growled before glaring at Samuel.

"How the hell did _we_ lose? Gott Verdammut, Sam, we always come out on top in combat sims, we have the highest synch ratios, so how did those stupid, brainless, hulking animals-"

The Imperial was not quite in the mood to respond, although he did agree with her to some extent.

 _I've been taught to serve for as long as I can remember. I studied at bloody Sandhurst, under some of the finest military minds in the Empire, and I still got crushed more easily than we did the French! Damn it...that shouldn't have happened...what a failure I am..._

Before they knew it, Shinji had swung round to face them, directly barring their way, his patience finally worn out with the both of them. His own feelings towards himself evaporated for these few moments, their behaviour was endangering thousands of lives and it needed to be nipped in the bud right here and now.

"First thing, if you actually think Seraphim aren't anything more than dumb animals, then you're fools. They are smart, they are cunning, and they will do anything **to kill you**." His eyebrows narrowed, utter dissatisfaction in them.

"Don't tell me how to Pilot my Eva, **Third**. I've been doing it since you were still in your _ficking_ diapers-" Asuka was in the process of snarling, before the older and more experienced boy cut her off, his tone slightly louder than hers.

"You're good, Soryu-san, I'll give you that. But you aren't a soldier, not by a long shot. From now, you **listen** to what others say. You obey orders, your shallow pride be **damned**. Maybe then, you might actually have a chance of living through this." Where he not so irritated and infuriated, Shinji may have noticed how the redhead's expression had frozen, as if unaware of what to say or do in the face of his scolding.

As if she were a rabbit in the headlights.

"From now on, I expect better **from both of you**." He gave a quick glare at the taller Imperial. "If you're elite, then you should be capable of actually engaging the enemy without me and Ayanami-chan having to haul you out of the fire. This isn't a damned game or simulation...this is war. You lose, you die, it's that simple. I hope you might understand that someday." Finished with his dressing down, he walked away, both of his hands balled into fists.

The Imperial and the German watched him storm off, with Rei swiftly following her progenitor's child. Samuel felt the more experienced yet younger boy's words further etch themselves into his head, provoking a sense of frustration and...inadequacy.

 _To be lectured by a Barbarian...but he's right. I have failed the Empire today. I must not do so again...for the sake of the homeland._

Asuka meanwhile had overcome her shock, and turned it into a feeling all too familiar to her.

Anger.

"Just who the _holle_ put you in charge _**dummkopf**_!?" She screamed after his disappearing back, gaining nothing in response. She and her colleague stood in the corridor, alone and ignored, as if they were petulant children.


	36. 9:4 Invaders

_2:45 pm, Monday the 27th of July, State of Japan, NERV Central, comms room_

The Supreme Commander of NERV really hated these thirteen monoliths that glared down upon him with utter contempt. To them, he would always be a tool, one which the old men wished they could rid themselves of, but Gendo was cunning. For a precious amount of time, long enough for his own plan to succeed, he'd made himself invaluable. Nevertheless...he did wish SEELE would provide him with a little more freedom. It was already established he knew what he was doing, and the middle aged man reckoned the Grand Master probably would permit such a thing, but alas he had rules to abide by.

And so it was Gendo Ikari had to engage in yet another pointless conversation with the ancient apocalypse cult.

" _What is the meaning of this, Ikari?"_ SEELE 02 boomed.

"Meaning? I was not aware that I needed permission to enhance our combat effectiveness." The bearded man responded, mildly amused by the mindless dogma which kept these old men from seeing things in a logical way.

" _You know of what we speak. We can not risk the deliverer bonding with too many others. Only with the virgin lamb, and the time is far from right."_

"And we will never reach the right time if the Seraphim are victorious."

" _But what if the deliverer is lead astray by the falsehoods of life? He may not be able to make the correct decision on the ordained day!"_

"I assure you, this is only a short term solution to a very real problem. Besides, further exposure to the more broken aspects of the human soul may push him away? This could work to our advantage."

There was a small amount of bickering for a few moments among the various council members, until Kasch sighed.

" _As much trouble as it is, how can we attain Instrumentality if the Seraphim kill us all first? The Commander here speaks with wisdom."_ His words caused a hush to descend upon his colleagues, whilst Gendo silently gloated in his little victory over the men responsible for the death of his wife.

" _Proceed with our blessing then, Ikari. That shall be all for now. The fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth."_ The Grand Master's words incited a resounding response of " _the fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth"_ from thirteen other voices. The connection cut.

"I'd have thought them to be more stubborn on the matter." Kozo noted with a small smile, gaining no such thing from his superior.

"You would be surprised how even men of faith will cast aside their principles to survive. It is our primary instinct after all." Gendo said, enjoying the dark quiet around him. A true and perfect reflection of his heart.

* * *

 _3:00 pm, Sengokuhara High School_

"It really went that badly?" Kensuke said, quietly aghast at his friend's unusually sombre expression.

Shinji wasn't a cheerful individual to begin with, but to have an expression of something akin to utter despair and frustration was quite bizarre for him.

 _Spirits, this must be serious._

"Yes." The boy said, clenching his jaw as he walked through the corridor, bag slung over his shoulder.

"Wow, I feel real safe knowing those _Eva Pilot elites_ are protecting us." Toji said, his words laced with sarcasm. It really grated on the jock, to see his friend be treated with such disdain by these _gaijn baka_ who couldn't even take care of themselves, let alone fight off eldritch demi-gods, whose wrath he himself had bore witness too.

It had been a few minutes before when Shinji had explained the occurrences of the other day's battle. Of the talented yet impetuous westerners and how they'd both bravely and foolishly rushed into combat, before being tossed around like rag dolls by the combined might of two Seraphim. It had been a very good thing they weren't in today, or else they might have gotten an earful from him.

"You know, when you read up on all the horrible stuff that happens in war, glory hounds just seem like idiots. Mostly because they aren't going to find what they're after..." The nerd shook his head in disdain, his brain going over and over how on earth these two westerners could be so naïve. Hadn't Europe been ripped apart by conflict scarcely twelve years before? Shouldn't they know, just as well as his people, the misery war brings to all?

"Their pride is nothing but self destructive. I only hope it does not extend to others." Rei added, confounded by her new colleagues.

 _They have done little to deserve such egos, yet act as if they are their most important possession. Pride...it is yet another thing that mankind must be set free from._

"Well...you've got my sympathies for having to put up with them at work. But hey, at least you don't live with them or anything!" Toji added a little jovially, gently punching Shinji on the shoulder.

"I suppose so." The mousey haired boy shrugged, his mind dwelling upon those words.

 _Have those two Yokai under the same roof as me? In my home? I think I'd go mad..._

"Speaking of home, what's it like being under the same roof as hot stuff?" Kensuke lightened the mood with a grin, his friend descending into a blushing mess.

"Gah...ugh...shut up..." Shinji mumbled.

"Aww, don't be shy buddy. We're all envious of you." The black haired jock said heartily, throwing his arm around the elder yet smaller boy's shoulder.

"Misato-san's pretty, but that's just disgusting!" Shinji shot back.

"There isn't anything disgusting about appreciating a woman. And Katsuragi-san is a woman to be appreciated...wow, dat ass." Toji mused.

"Dat ass indeed." Kensuke nodded his head, sagely.

"She is basically twice our age guys..." The mousey haired boy tried to complain.

"Hah, age is no barrier on love!"

Shinji couldn't help but chuckle, the metaphorical poking and prodding of his friends being something to bring cheer to the moment. Considering they now had five days to prepare for the Seraphim's next attack, he needed all the amusement he could get.

"I hate both of you." He shook his head, provoking genuine laughter from two people he considered friends, whilst Rei observed their behaviour with no small amount of interest.

 _It is strange, such words would usually mean that one possesses dislike for an individual. But here...it is almost a show of affection. Humans are very strange creatures indeed..._ Beyond her control it seemed, her lips curled into a microscopic smile, designating her amusement at the three teenage boys mocking and humiliating one another. Apparently, it had taken her progenitor's child some time to discover that whatever insults his "friends" threw his way were purely in jest.

It was apparently just how "boys" were.

 _I can understand the class Representative's annoyance...and amusement at the opposite sex. Their behaviour is truly one of nature's great events, and should be observed...I may take notes..._

* * *

Bidding his friends goodbye and escorting Rei back to her apartment, Shinji found himself standing at the entrance of the complex he called home, taking a deep breath of humid air before going in. Punching in the pass code, the electric door slid open, and he walked in.

Earlier he'd taken interest in what seemed to be a removal van parked up outside, giving him the impression they'd be getting new neighbours. Not that he ever spoke to anyone else in the building, but he did find it a bit strange, considering that as far as he knew all the apartments were filled up by NERV staff, and he wasn't sure if the world's most enigmatic and powerful organization was still hiring these days.

Aside from the very recent acquisition of himself, he doubted anyone else had been put on their payroll. Which reminded him, he'd have to ask Misato just how much he was paid. Considering the things he did, a little part of Shinji hoped it would be substantial.

He ascended the various flights of stairs at a leisurely pace, his day being almost completed as far as he was concerned. Now, he'd an evening of making sure the apartment didn't look like a crater, possibly making dinner, Cello practice, and maybe a ghibli film or two.

Shinji was getting hooked on them.

Upon approaching the apartment door however, he noticed something a little wrong.

Light was trickling out from the cracks, and there was what sounded like movement in there. Considering Misato was at work today and wouldn't get back until 5, there really shouldn't be anyone in there.

Gently, and nervously, he knocked on the door, a little part of him tensing in case whoever answered was not meant to be in there, in the illegal manner. The sound of light footsteps caught his attention, of bare feet on carpeted floor, as but a moment later the door slid open. The good news was, no, it was not a burglar or even a member of the "Free Japan" movement hiding out in there. But in a way, what stood before him could be considered **even worse**.

"Well _guten nachtmittag_ , Shinji." Asuka said with a playful smile, the colour draining from the boy in question's face.

Hand on slightly thrust out hip, the freckled girl had gotten out of the shower scarcely five minutes beforehand, her red hair allowed to fall freely over her shoulders, a towel wrapped over them. All she had on was a pink T-shirt and some small blue shorts.

Asuka enjoyed how stuck between fear, annoyance, and attraction the Third Child was in that moment, as his lips began working again.

"S-s-s-soryu-san! What are...what are you doing here?" Shinji desperately had to fight the sheer horror in his voice, seeing the red menace dwell in his home.

"Haven't you heard, Third? I've been dispatched to impart my infinite wisdom upon you." Asuka smile broadened.

"No...no I haven't heard anything-" His blood ran cold.

"Ah, that's no surprise. Misato was meant to tell you, but she's kind of forgetful."

"Hardly surprising for someone with fifty cans of beer in her fridge! Bloody hell, does she even have room for food!" Another voice, one Shinji didn't want to hear about as much as Asuka's, came from the kitchen.

"That's not any good, Sam! Have you found the lemonade yet?" The redhead called back.

"Still looking! Don't know why I'm doing this though!?" Was the report in crisp High Imperial.

"Because you don't do enough for yourself. She usually keeps one or two bottles at the bottom! Keep digging!" Asuka turned her gaze back to Shinji, her eyebrow rising after a few more moments.

"Are you coming in or what, _dummkopf_?"

"M-meadow-san..." He mumbled in disbelief and dread.

" _Jah_ , he's here too. Is there a problem with that?" She said a challengingly, her presence utterly eclipsing his own. None of the energy that had come forth from his lips that other day appeared. This was off duty, and here he was his usual, wimpy, self. Fighting down his own feelings of upset, Shinji accepted his circumstances, as he always had to, and stepped in.

"It's no problem." He said a little glumly, feeling this wasn't his home any more.

 _Damn, I liked it here as well..._

This feeling was further enhanced by seeing his room stripped of many of his belongings and even his "lovely suite" sign.

"But...that was my room..." His shoulders sagged.

"Well it's not any more. You're lucky you got the smaller room, Samuel was after that one. Now he's got the couch..." Asuka trailed off, despairing humour in her tone.

"I uh...didn't touch the more fragile stuff. I felt I should leave that to you." She, in a surprisingly diplomatic manner, gently waved him off into her room, so he could collect his things. The boy had been a little worried about that. He wondered if his freckled colleague was still mad at him for what he'd said that other day, and had decided to take it out on what he'd regard as his "treasures."

But clearly, there where lines even Countess Asuka Zeppelin Soryu wouldn't cross.

With great gentleness, he picked up his bag and cello, and made his way into the next door room. Setting them down beside his new bed, he sighed slightly before pulling out his phone, flipping it open, and dialling Misato's number. It rang for roughly ten seconds, with Shinji having a sneaking suspicion his guardian was currently looking at her ringing phone and cursing her forgetfulness. Eventually, there was contact.

" _Okay, I know what this is about, and I am_ _ **so sorry**_ _for not telling you until now."_ The sheer guilt was evident in her voice, so once again Shinji could quite easily control his annoyance.

"It's alright...I've been thrown out of my room." He said a little glumly.

" _...Unfortunately, Asuka-san is a teenage girl and needs a bigger room. Also we'd never hear the end of it from her if we didn't."_

"I know..."

" _They haven't been mean to you have they?"_

"Oh no, not at all! Just the...usual..."

" _I'm being let out of work a bit earlier today. I'll be back at about 4, is that alright?"_

"That's fine, see you then." Reluctantly, he pressed the "end call" button, and pocketed his phone. An unpleasant situation had been forced upon him, and he would have to deal with it. Up until that day, his life in the apartment hadn't been overly unpleasant, the cheerful relationship he'd established with the chirpy woman who was his guardian, was something he cherished.

And now, he'd have to deal with these two shattering his peace. Because, as always, it seemed the universe had no mercy for him.

* * *

 _4:15pm_

The Lieutenant Colonel felt nothing but dread in her heart, approaching the entrance to her home. To be frank, the purplehead had quite happily adjusted to the newcomer in her life, feeling a sense of sadness their peace was now utterly shattered by things other than the enemy itself.

Not that she bore any ill will at all to her two new charges, especially not Asuka. Having cared for her some years before, Misato was well aware the freckled girl wasn't as bad as her mouth made her out to be. As for the Imperial...aside from his attitude in combat and his history, she knew very little about Samuel, or how to handle him. But, Asuka had said relatively neutral things about him in the past, so that meant he probably wasn't an awful person.

Nevertheless, taking care of **three** teenagers was most certainly not something she'd signed up for.

 _Yup, something's wrong with me if the Seraphim seem less intimidating than that..._

Entering the apartment, Misato made her way into the kitchen, automatically searching for a can of beer that was to be desperately needed for the evening to come. Looking through her fridge, she found that which she sort, but also noticed the absence of a lemonade bottle.

 _Really? Didn't even know you liked that, Asuka..._

"Oh, you're back. Did you know your lemonade is pants?" Said Samuel, who currently resided upon the sofa, poking his head around the corner so as to actually see his new "carer" as father had put it.

 _So that's where it went._

"Sorry, I'll get something better in my next shopping trip." Misato forced a smile.

"Oh tosh, I'll take care of that. Besides, you can only get the good stuff from the homeland." Samuel dismissed her with the wave of his hand.

Out of the corner of the sofa, stood a very small British flag, the sort of thing sold in the streets of Leopard on days of celebration. The one who'd jabbed it in, now had his arms folded behind his head, slight annoyance etched into his features.

"An Imperial officer, a member of the damned nobility, and I get cramped in here? Dear god, what sort of joke is this?" He grumbled.

 _You and me both buddy._ Misato mused.

Removing her beret and dropping herself onto a kitchen stool, she opened the beer can and gulped down some good old fashioned alcohol. She sighed deeply, both in preparation for what was yet to come, and the relief of being home again after a hard day of work.

"Where's Shinji-kun and Asuka-san?" She inquired.

"Last I saw, she's in her room **still** unpacking, and he's in his room **still** moping." Samuel shook his head. Why anyone would need that much time to unpack, and why anyone would need that much time to get over something, was a mystery to him. He flexed his encased in white socks toes as an act of boredom, occasionally taking a look at the turned on television.

"Please tell me you can get BBC off this?" He said despairingly. Even if subtitles in High Imperial could be turned on, the boy would much prefer to watch it in his mother tongue.

"Well...it's a smart TV so...maybe?" The purplehead shrugged.

"Oh bollocks...it's a good thing I brought my Playstation..." The Imperial grumbled.

"...the Empire has Playstations?"

"Of course. Your culture is barbaric but your technological achievements are most impressive. We could learn one or two things from you I suppose."

"...I'm flattered." Misato said, not really sure how to respond.

"Hm, good to know that I'm not completely hopeless at diplomacy then." Samuel chuckled to himself, stretching out even more.

Years ago, when he'd had to stay in NERV Berlin as part of his training, the boy had proceeded to annoy or aggravate almost everyone around him, including the ten year old redhead he'd only just met at the time. How strange, the girl who'd probably hated him most, and vice versa, would end up as his only friend...

The sound of a door sliding open caught both their attentions, as Shinji emerged from his new room, his expression lightning slightly upon seeing the cheerful woman who took care of him.

"Hey!" She smiled, warmly and welcoming as per usual.

"Hello, Misato-san. Did you have a good day at work?" His words caused her to lean back into her seat and sigh in an over dramatic manner.

"Would have been alright if the Imperial contingent weren't up our asses all the time. I mean, Spirits, the Germans are sticklers for regulations but the Brits...just a constant _No, this is His Imperial Majesty's property, and it can only be handled by his loyal servants._ " She said, mimicking the blunt and straightforward manner of Colonel Bradsworth, commander of the Imperial army contingent assigned to guard Unit 03, roughly two thousand soldiers altogether of the 3rd Kent Regiment.

It had been very unnerving for the Section 4 staff to be either watched under the constant barrel of an SA85 "Talevera" assault rifle, or chased off with bayonets by the red face plated Imperial soldiers.

The Germans meanwhile had been more understanding. Staff were allowed to work on Unit 02 after showing their ID cards, but even so, the eight hundred soldiers of the 2nd battalion Saxony 8th Regiment, clad in their _Sturmrustung_ grey and black power armour, were a sight that provoked deathly fear.

 _Sure puts my poor Section 3 to shame._

Shinji couldn't help but smile back at his guardian, her comically childish nature always being something to lighten the mood, no matter how dark it seemed.

"Could have been worse then?" He brought himself over to the table, and pulled out a seat for himself.

"Maybe? That's a big _maybe_ mind you." She huffed.

They sat in awkward silence for a while, wanting to say many things, and many things needing to be said. However, the mere presence of another unwelcome party in this conversation was not at all desirable. But, as Samuel Meadow was a member of the Imperial nobility, he could tell when a conversation was meant to be private.

"If you want me to sod off, you just have to ask!" He hauled himself off the sofa and walked out onto the balcony, closing the glass door behind him.

With him out the way, the conversation could now begin in earnest.

"Why are they here?" Shinji asked sheepishly.

Misato scratched the back of her head and sighed.

"They're here for _team building exercises_. Command wants you to work as a unit, and thinks that will be helped by housing you three here for now. I suppose if you can put up with each other at home, then you'll manage in combat." She said, as if trying to convince herself but failing.

"...this wasn't your idea then?"

"Oh Spiritson high, no. Look, I like having guests, I like having you as a room mate, but **three** teenagers under one roof? Even I've got limits..." She ran a stressed hand through her hair. "But I suppose we need to make this work in whatever way we can. Right, Shinji-kun?"

Her optimistic tone making its return, caused a slight bit of warmth to fill the boy in question's heart. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"Whatever it takes." He said tiredly.

 _I struggle with them as it is during work...but living with them? I'm not sure if I can cope with that..._

The sound of the main bedroom door sliding open, and the padding of bare feet on the floor caught the two's attention. Asuka entered the kitchen, a mildly curious expression upon her freckled face at the sudden silence which had descended upon the apartment.

"Private business, _herr kommandant_?" She titled her head whilst grinning, as Shinji said nothing, his ability to talk freely crushed now.

"Hey, Asuka-san. How's moving in coming along?" Misato decided to break the uneasiness by taking the topic onto something a little more light-hearted and as far away as possible from what she and her primary charge had just been talking about.

"It's so cramped in there, I'm not sure I'll be able to fit in all my stuff!" Asuka huffed dramatically, crossing her arms.

"Sorry if it's a bit smaller than you're used to."

"Oh don't worry, perhaps one day I'll find it within my heart to forgive you..." The redhead sarcastically waved all that aside, before her stomach began grumbling.

"What have we got in the fridge? I'm hungry." She practically demanded. In a manner which indicated, especially to Shinji, they were in no position to refuse her.

* * *

It was far too hot here.

Back in the home islands, even during the depths of summer the temperature did not reach such heights. Thirty degrees above Fahrenheit, almost all day except for night, every day.

 _My god, how do the barbarians not go mad from the heat?_ Samuel used his navy blue sleeve to mop some sweat from his brow. Although it was stifling within his navy blue tunic, the aristocrat did not have the heart to remove his uniform, for it was a second skin to him. He...couldn't really imagine a life without it.

A life without service.

A life without the Empire to which his very being was pledged.

Gazing across the capital city of Japan, he couldn't help but feel some slight admiration for the forest of glittering skyscrapers, mighty FCVs hovering in the heavens, and the occasional squadron of VTOLs screeching overhead.

In some ways, it wasn't too dissimilar from Leopard itself.

 _Not nearly as grand mind you. There needs to be more gold and white, and banners for such a comparison...and the ships need to be more triangular with a bit of black and gold...also wrong noise._

The Susanoo class FCV was impressive to be sure, a match for most of its foreign rivals, but there was nothing which could go toe to toe with the splendour and power of a Dauntless. As always, the Empire's greatness was reflected in its aesthetics.

But still, the thoughts continued to nag. It was rather incredible, how they came so close to oblivion via foreign invasion, yet from the ashes built a grand and glorious city which should have been impregnable against attack. Granted, that hadn't worked out, but no one could really blame the Japanese for not designing their defence systems to deal with eldritch abominations.

No city, be it Imperial, Federal, Communist, Continental or Japanese, was built for such a task.

The sun was slowly beginning its descent to the horizon, where it would be swallowed up by the earth itself, and the world would be drowned in the crisp blackness of night. A flock of birds moved through the air, gracefully and artfully, with more coordination than any military formation he'd seen. Samuel unclasped his hands from behind his back and leaned against the balcony's safety rail, a slight smile on his lips as he watched this fine display of nature.

Not that he was a bird watcher or anything, but he did respect the natural world, or what was left of it, enough to appreciate its beauty.

He didn't want to go back inside. This residence was so...small, confined, and crushing to his spirit. Granted, Misato seemed like a decent individual as did his fellow male room mate, but...four people? Under one roof? Especially when NERV had all these resources.

But orders were orders. Kneeling before the hologram of his father, he'd been told as such. There was no anger in the elder Meadow's eyes, just slight disappointment mixed with a tinge of bemusement when the boy had found out where he'd be bunkered for the few weeks or so.

His complaints had been swiftly cut down.

" _Supreme Commander Ikari has requested that you learn how to work with these people, and I agree with him for once. And as I am High Field Marshal, I act with the Emperor's authority. Besides...I think it may do you some good..."_

 _Good? What good can be achieved by mingling with barbarians? Oh well, as much trouble as she can be, I'm glad Asuka's in this mess with me. I'd probably get lonely otherwise._

Speaking of which, he heard that loud voice which he'd come to care a fair bit about, echo through the apartment and even the sliding glass doors. Apparently she was hungry and making sure everyone knew about it. Something the staff back at _Meadow manor_ were all too familiar with.

Leaning back from his observation of the local wildlife, Samuel sighed.

"It's not home...but it will have to do."

* * *

 _4:30pm_

It had been amusing to see the sheer fear in the redhead's sapphire eyes when Misato mentioned "curry surprise." Of course however, that was tempered by a similar sense of dread entering Shinji's own heart.

"Alright, Third, sitrep. Is she still _scheisse_ at cooking?" Asuka leaned in, keen to know whether or not her former guardian had improved.

"If you mean as in she still throws everything in the microwave..." his words provoked a despairing groan from the freckled girl.

 _I'd have thought you'd have gotten better over the past two years, Misato. Gott in himmel..._

"Curry? Oh I wouldn't mind some of that." Samuel perked up a little bit, only to get a quick shake of the head from his German colleague.

"Sam, this is not a Chicken Korma. You don't like spicy food, you don't like ready made food, so tip it down the sink when she isn't looking." Asuka said with no small amount of experience.

"I think fighting Seraphim might be a bit less hazardous than her cooking." Shinji numbly added, not truly believing it mind you.

"Nonsense, I've lived off army rations, it can't be that bad..." The aristocrat rolled his eyes, as four steaming plates filled with mixed, microwaveable food stuffs was slammed down in front of them.

"As your friends on the continent say, _bon appetite!_ " Misato said cheerfully, tucking into her own meal, whilst Shinji and Asuka slowly and reluctantly leaned in to eat theirs, with Samuel muttering something about "bloody frogs."

A matter of minutes later, the Imperial had already disappeared off to the toilet, his stomach making many unnatural noises and unleashing some potent gas.

"Good to know your cooking is the high standard it's always been..." The redhead chuckled a little whilst Misato just laughed, beer can in hand.

"Even better to know, that whilst the Empire can subjugate nations, they can't stomach me."

This provoked a round of quiet, yet genuine laughter from all present.

"Even Pen-pen can't stand it...speaking of which, where is he? I'd usually get nudged in the leg by now for some food." Shinji queried, having not seen the flightless bird for a while.

"Oh he's in the shower. It takes quite a while...feathers and all that." His guardian answered, sipping her ice cold beer.

Asuka looked as if she was continuing to take humour from that, before her pretty expression became thoughtful, then slightly alarmed upon remembering something. This occurred to the brown haired boy as well.

"Wait...you told Meadow-san about Pen-pen right?" Shinji said.

The sound of sipping stopped dead in its tracks. A set of brown eyes widened.

"Oh gott..." Asuka buried her head in her hands, as a shriek of terror and surprise echoed from the bathroom. A door was thrown open, and scrambling around the corner, pants pulled up but trousers still down, was Samuel.

" **Bird...shower...towel...explain!** " He pointed an accusing finger at Misato, before the object which had caused him torment waddled past, his electric blue eyes slowly following it.

"That's our other room mate." Shinji said gingerly, the Imperial's confusion continuing to grow.

"You could have mentioned this!" He directed at the redhead, who grimaced in defeat.

"I...didn't think it was important..."

"They literally have a Penguin that can use showers and can dry itself with a towel! I think that warrants a mention!"

"His name is Pen-pen." Misato added.

"...Pen-pen? Is that seriously the best name you can come up with?" Samuel tilted hie head as his technical superior officer shrugged with a smile.

"Hey, I was fourteen alright."

"Fourteen? I could come up with better when I was fourteen...god I've got my work cut out civilising you lot." He returned his gaze to the flightless bird, as Pen-pen made his way back into his home, small fridge door sliding shut behind him.

"It has a house?" He said, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, of course. He's a Penguin, he needs a cold environment." The purplehead said, as if this were obvious.

The Imperial stood there for a few moments, looking hopelessly back and forth between Shinji and Asuka, desperately looking for answers, getting nothing but sympathy and shrugs.

"I live with sodding Pingu? Oh I'm just finished for today..." he muttered, swiftly making his way back to the bathroom, as fast as one can with their trousers round their ankles.

* * *

 _7:00pm_

Channel Ghibli was a seemingly inexhaustible source of entertainment, with whatever it had to show being a treat for the eyes, and a story for the ages. At least, that's how Shinji thought of them, as was to be expected of an individual who'd hardly ever watched that much television in his life up until a month ago.

But now, sitting on the sofa with Misato, Pen-pen curled up on his lap, glass of milk in his hand and some beer in his guardian's, the boy felt serenity for the first time that day. It was clear to him however, his home was most likely not to the liking of his new "room mates."

Samuel was routinely returning to the bathroom, many a gaseous noise resounding throughout the apartment. Shinji had a feeling the Imperial would not be touching their host's food ever again. Not even with that prog blade of his.

Asuka meanwhile, had gone back to her recently claimed room to do "things" which were not to be questioned. Along the way she'd complained about there being no locks, something he found quite strange. Apparently the westerners liked having total control over their doors, even when within their own home.

 _They're so strange...so loud, so rude, and they still want privacy? I don't think I'll ever understand them..._

Leaning his head back into the sofa's headrest, Shinji let out a long and tired sigh, as if the weight of the world were bearing down on him.

Which in some ways, it was. As it had done for over a month now.

"How are we going to live through this?" He said despairingly, not only in reference to the battle against an enemy he could scarcely comprehend, but also the recent arrivals who saw fit to utterly disrupt his peaceful home. He'd originally thought Misato was troublesome, but now even she paled in comparison to Asuka and Samuel.

"I don't know. But that's the hand we've been dealt, and like always, we'll have to make the most of it...we've done it before." Misato attempted to lighten his spirits, reminding him they'd faced impossible odds before. But this was a different sort of problem, one that couldn't be overcome by caving in an eldritch creature's face.

"Yes..." Shinji nodded, not just with acceptance but no small amount of regret. Glumly sipping his milk, he decided to put the conversation onto something less personal.

"So...what are we doing about this whole _teamwork_ thing?" His words became nervous as his guardian's lips pressed themselves into a slight grin.

"Oh I've got something I think you'll all like..."


	37. 9:5 Team Building

_7:00 am, Tuesday the 28th of July, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, NERV Quarters_

Sleep had come the previous evening, despite all his tossing, turning, and terrible dreams. His smaller bed hadn't helped, as Shinji had to adjust to not having as much room to move about any more. And so it was he'd laid awake for a few hours, having woken up at six, staring up at the ceiling and pondering on whatever Misato had prepared for them.

 _It can't be good, whatever it is. And that's without having to do it with those two..._

But then he felt himself lighten up.

 _Well, at least I get few days off school and have Rei over. Spirits, what's she going to make of this?_

Growing bored of residing beneath his sheets, he sat up, sighed, then swung his legs over the bed's side. Placing his feet on the floor and wiggling his toes so as to stretch out any muscle that needed stretching, Shinji padded over to the door, slid it open, and made his way to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

What he didn't expect to find was Samuel, already awake with dark circles under his eyes, holding a mug of hot chocolate in hand and leaning against the mantelpiece.

It was the way the Imperial dressed however, that truly caught Shinji's attention.

In a blue and white striped pyjama set, most buttons done up, he had both his feet placed into some cosy looking brown slippers, with an about as cosy looking brown dressing gown over him. Scarcely anyone in Japan dressed like that these days.

"Good morning, Meadow-san." Shinji said, giving a polite bow of his head.

"Morning..." he said a little lifelessly, sipping some more of his hot chocolate.

"Um...did you sleep well?" The Japanese boy offered.

"No. Your Lieutenant Colonel snores like a pig, and I'm still getting used to this time zone." The Imperial began twisting his neck, result in a few satisfying clicks as his bones went back into place.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yes that bad. Not to mention my neck feels stiff after sleeping on that bloody sofa..."

"What?" Shinji became genuinely confused, having seen Misato lay out two mattresses on the floor.

"I slept on the sofa. Is there a problem with that?" Samuel shrugged.

"...why?" The Japanese boy tilted his head.

"Because even servants don't sleep on the floor. Damn, your people are strange..." The Imperial said, as if this should be obvious.

"Where's Misato-san?" Shinji asked, keen to move on from how the different the westerner was to him, and keen to discover the whereabouts of his guardian.

"Had to dash off to work or something. Apparently _she won't be long_..." Samuel mused. It was surprising just how quickly the woman had awoken from a deep sleep when the phone rang, and how in but fifteen minutes she'd thrown her uniform on and was out the door.

 _Perhaps you are a soldier after all._

"I see...is Soryu-san still asleep?" The brown haired boy asked, eliciting a snigger from Samuel.

"Owing to the severe lack of loud demands, I'd say that's a given. She's always liked her beauty sleep, and woe betide anyone who disturbs her." The Imperial took another sip from his warm drink, but there was a humoured warning in his eyes. He'd clearly had bad experience with this sort of thing before.

Shinji decided to heed his advice.

The boy in question gave a quick smile of humour before moving over to the kitchen and brewing some tea, the taller Imperial shuffling out of his way. As the kettle boiled, a small part of Shinji found himself a little unnerved by being left in the same house as the other two teenagers without adult supervision. But...they didn't seem to feel any ill will towards him, just some sort of benign superiority.

This being something he could happily cope with.

"What about you?" Samuel's question caught him a little off guard.

"Hmm, what?" Shinji said, surprised the aloof Imperial would even deign him worthy of conversation.

"How did you sleep? **You dolt**." He said. To those versed in "people skills", his meaning would be obvious. But not to Shinji Ikari. Thoughts of terrible nightmares soon came to mind, ones of fire, darkness, death, and those unending voices which told him the truth of himself.

That he was worthless.

"I slept fine." He lied, as he always did whenever asked about such things. Gaining a satisfied "hmm" from Samuel, he continued to brew and make his tea, then sat down on the sofa with it in hand. Immediately, Shinji noticed the "sixteen year old boy shape" pressed into its fabric after a night of having the boy in question sleeping upon it. Which reminded him...

"Oh...do you mind?" He inquired, having remembered this was the Imperial's sleeping area now. It was unfortunate, as he'd only just gotten used to sitting down on it without permission.

"There is no love lost between me and that blasted thing. Feel free." Samuel gestured with his left hand, whilst he let the thick and sweet contents of what he called his "mug", soothe his very being. This was the drink of his childhood, and it would be something he'd cling to for as long as he'd live.

The mug would be filled with three quarters of milk, heated in a microwave for one minute and fifty seconds, then have three heaped tea spoons of hot chocolate powder stirred in with it. This was his precise routine, and the British officer never changed it.

 _Just like you showed me. I haven't forgotten, Mum._

Shinji proceeded to drink his tea, before noticing a strange sight. The sofa's two cushions had been jammed into the midway split section, creating something akin to a "wall."

"What's this for?" He inquired, gaining nothing but a few murmurs of "bloody stupid bird," as the Imperial continued to sip his warm drink.

Deciding not to press the matter, he chose instead to lean into the sofa a bit more, letting its softness embrace his back. Some part of Shinji was tempted to turn on the television, maybe even engage in a great journey of discovery by watching something other than channel Ghibli, but he declined. He did not have the bravery to explore, and he did not have the desire to wake Asuka up. Considering that flaming hot temper she appeared to have...it seemed like a logical reason.

The boy might have disliked himself, but he rather enjoyed having his head where it currently resided.

The two "young men" didn't exchange any more words for a while, both their respective warm drinks, and the slight awkwardness of their situation, being enough to stop a conversation in its tracks. This was soon disturbed, as the sound of a bedroom door opening caught both their attention.

Shinji braced himself for whatever an early morning Asuka was like, whilst Samuel gave a simple, tired, but ultimately warm smile. Well...as far as a member of the largest Empire in history's noble class could show "warmth."

The redhead yawned slightly as she walked into the living room, giving a nod at them both, with the one directed at Samuel being more pronounced and friendly, instead of just courtesy.

Not really knowing what to say, Shinji remained quiet.

"Did you have fun and games with Pen-pen?" She asked Samuel, seeing the cushioned wall in the sofa.

"...yes..." he grumbled.

Asuka laughed at that, before plopping herself down on one of Misato's recently acquired bean bags.

"Anyone got the remote?" She asked.

"Um...yes...of course..." Shinji looked around himself for a moment, sighting the remote in question, picking it up, and handing it to Asuka who unceremoniously took it out of his hand and turned the television on. He flinched slightly from this, sensitive thing that he was.

"Asuka..." Samuel chastised with faint amusement.

"What?" She said sardonically, fixing him with a stare.

"Manners."

"Hmm..." The redhead turned her gaze back to the screen, and flicked through the various channels it had.

Sighing with both a chuckle and the shake of his head, the Imperial leaned upon the sofa with one hand, positioning himself just to Shinji's left.

"Don't worry, chum. It took me a few years to get her to start saying _thank you_ , every now and again. I think I'm getting close to _please_ now-"

"Oh go to hell, Sam." Asuka grumbled.

She continued to go through the channels at an incredible rate, both boys watching her. The Japanese boy remained quiet as he had no idea how to handle this, and the Imperial's smile continued to grow.

Practically broadening when the German girl muttered "Don't they have any _Gott verdammt_ channels in _Deutscher_?"

"I...I wouldn't think so. You're in Japan after all..." Shinji turned paler than Rei, as Asuka fixed him with a searing sapphire glare.

"Shut up, Third."

* * *

 _9:00am_

Misato stumbled in through the door, desperately attempting to blink away any and all exhaustion, to little avail. She could handle it of course, being a tough woman even in her weakest moments, but the purplehead still felt early mornings were a curse from the Spirits.

But upon making her way into her small apartment's kitchen, Misato supposed some thanks was in order for them, as nothing was in pieces, covered in blood, on fire, or all of the above. That may have sounded almost impossible to anyone who'd lived in a civilised part of the world before 2000 AD, but it was something any who'd survived Second Impact were all too familiar with...

Standing by the kitchen sink, cutlery and plates clattering as they were scrubbed and piled on top of each other, was Shinji. With a kitchen apron on and some rubber gloves, he'd push his earphones into his ears and was merrily humming along to "ode to joy."

At least...that's what Misato reckoned.

"Hey, Shinji-kun." She smiled slightly upon gaining no response, the boy being so utterly engrossed in his work and music. She received no greeting from the other two, who remained in front of the television watching what appeared to be BBC news.

 _...how the hell did they get hold of that...scratch that, how long did they spend going through all the channels?_

With stealth only a seasoned soldier could manage, and wasn't really required, Misato moved herself behind her charge and tapped him on the shoulder. The dish cloth nearly flew out of his hands, as he fiddled with his ear phones to pull them out. His pale expression soon vanished after seeing whom had disturbed him.

The other two children meanwhile, had taken a quick look at the source of the noise, Asuka muttering "dummkopf", and Samuel giving a quick chuckle of "pansy," then returning to seeing the latest updates on the Empire's further pacification of South America, and rising tensions on its border with the Federation.

Having gotten over his fright, Shinji huffed a little bit at his guardian's giggling before shaking his head.

"Very funny, Misato-san." He grumbled, getting a hearty pat on the back from the purplehead.

"I aim to please. That's a lot of washing up for one person..." She trailed off, eyeing the three sets of cutlery and glasses neatly stacked in the corner waiting to be dried.

"Um...well we all had our breakfast together, and I did the cooking so it was only fair I washed up..." He said innocently.

Misato winced.

 _Great, you've already established that you're a doormat to Asuka-chan...that's going to end well. And considering mister "pinnacle of the Empire's noble class" probably spent most of his life with servants doing shit for him, you've probably given him the wrong impression...great...just great..._

"Is there a problem?" Shinji asked nervously. Misato brushed it off with a laugh.

"Oh, it's nothing. You'd all better finish up whatever you're doing. Team building starts **now**." She directed at all three of the children, gaining a further paled expression from Shinji, a resigned sigh from Asuka, and an outright groan from Samuel.

"I thought we weren't starting until ten?" The Imperial rolled his head back.

"Time waits for no man, Samuel-chan." Misato's grin widened as Asuka roared with laughter, Shinji barely suppressed a snigger, and Samuel fixed her with a confused stare.

"What did you just call me?"

* * *

 _15 minutes later_

Rei's journey had been uneventful. A simple train had carried her most of the way, and now she found herself barely a hundred feet from the entrance to the apartment complex. She wore her school uniform, as it was basically the only thing she had in terms of clothing, and even had her school bag slung over her shoulder, so as to deal with the work given to her yesterday during education.

The albino was aware, of course, she probably wouldn't have much time for that but brought it nonetheless. Within the bag however, was something she had absolutely no intention of anyone save for her brother discovering.

The item in question, was a book. What was apparently called a "light novel", within which was contained a story. Rei had always been aware of "stories", but had never read, nor been taught any. Up until Shinji's arrival in Tokyo-3, she'd never even spared it a thought, but what with how engaging she found books containing information, she felt driven to find something more. Thus, when the Librarian had inquired as to why she'd never gone into the fiction section, the albino found herself perplexed.

The thought had simply not occurred to her, and upon thinking of it, at first she'd felt that she mustn't indulge in the falsehood of escapism, another delusion that human beings engaged with so as to endure the misery of life.

A misery caused by the universal truth of all men being alone.

 _A cage I must free them from. But they will not understand, only the Commander possesses the wisdom and foresight to do such a thing. He gave me purpose...to that I am grateful._

She arrived at the entrance a few minutes later, pressing the buzzer for Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi's apartment.

Her hand moved over her bag, gently feeling for the thick lump that was her book. She'd spent a few hours browsing the school library, looking on the backs of so many covers. Many had been romance novels, which held little interest for her, as she knew that the greatest lie of all humanity was "love." But one had caught her attention, an interesting idea of people being trapped in a virtual reality where if they were killed there, they died in real life. Despite there apparently being a romance involved, she picked it up, read a few pages which caused her eyebrow to rise, before it putting it back down with all haste and resolving to never touch it again...

 _Why do so many believe the colour black to be "cool?" It is a bland and basic thing...so...dark._

Rei's mind soon focused on a more pressing matter.

 _Soryu...Meadow...Ikari-kun is clearly made uncomfortable by them. I shall inquire as to whether or not he requires an escape route. This should not prove troublesome, as this building has roughly seven of them._

The door slid open, and there stood one of the two people in this world she genuinely trusted, with her own life and even more.

"Hello, Ayanami-chan." Shinji's expression clearly lit up at the mere sight of those red eyes.

"Good morning, Ikari-kun. How...are you... _holding up_?" She forced out those last words in a manner that indicated she only just understood their meaning. But nevertheless, they touched their recipient to no small extent.

"I'm fine. Come in, I've got the kettle boiling." He beamed, and gestured for her to walk inside, to which Rei gladly obliged. They ascended the flights of stairs quickly, the albino appraising the clothing of her progenitor's child. The only time she'd seen him in anything but school uniform or plugsuit, was the first day they'd met. It seemed he liked shirts and trousers, immaculately ironed and crisp. This coupled with his not exactly unhealthy form, indicated Shinji Ikari could take care of almost everything except his self esteem.

Arriving back at the apartment door, Shinji slid his key card through the lock, and the metal slab slid open with an electronic hum.

"I'm back! Ayanami-chan's here!" He called out.

"Great, the kettle finished boiling so I put some tea out for you both." Misato responded, a little part of her inwardly wincing over whether or not the "Commander's pet", enjoyed tea. But if she was anything like Shinji, there was most likely no problem.

Having been knelt down for a while, laying out two mats, she stood up and brushed herself down, a slight grin on her face due to Asuka's ever widening eyes, and Samuel's risen eyebrow.

"So you're telling me, that NERV's grand strategy, is to defeat our enemy **via twister**." The Imperial ran a gloved hand through his hair, still observing the two poke-a-dot mats on the floor with various machinery hooked up to them.

"It's not twister." The redhead objected, no less horrified however.

"Yes it is!"

"Just because it's covered in multi coloured dots-"

"It's basically twister!"

"Actually it's an interactive dance game..." Misato's smile continued to broaden as the two teenagers looked at her completely gone out.

"...my point still stands..." Samuel huffed, folding his arms.

Asuka meanwhile, made many a noise of disagreement and disbelief before actually pushing some words out.

"You can't be serious, Misato. This...this has got to be some sort of joke." She said with anger and dread in her tone, as when one knew Misato Katsuragi, they knew this sort of thing was most certainly not out of the question.

"Overall this has very little to do with our battle plan. But, what it will do, is teach you how to move in tandem with one another. If you can't work as a unit, then we might as well just roll over and let the Seraphim wipe us out." The purplehead raised a hand to quieten any complaints.

"Now I get that this is embarrassing, but considering the situation, I really couldn't care less. You **will** learn how to be a team, and you **will** keep whatever issues you have off the battlefield before they get us all killed. Is that understood?" Her tone became slightly harsher.

There were some mumbles of disgruntled acceptance, causing Misato's eyes to narrow.

"Louder volume, and the words you're looking for are _Ryokai_ or _yes ma'am_."

After a few moments, the two westerners straightened up and said the words she'd demanded. The purplehead then relaxed and put her old smile back on.

"Great. Shinji-kun, could you get over here?" She beckoned to her mild mannered charge. Immediately, after sipping some of his tea, the boy brought himself over to her.

He warily eyed the pads on the floor, but clearly didn't think too much of them. It wasn't his place to question after all, as defeating the Seraphim took absolute priority. Especially after seeing what his enemy was capable of, the idea of having nothing to stop them was...a terrifying thought indeed.

"Right, as you and Asuka-san have the most trouble getting along, you'll go first." Misato's words were met with uncomfortable shifting and groaning.

"Really? **Him?** Couldn't I do this with Sam-" Asuka whined as the purplehead shook her head with a smile.

"No can do, Asuka-san, and that's what the brass is saying, not just me...anyway, before we get started, I just need to grab something." The Lieutenant Colonel abruptly vanished off into the various boxes piled in the corner, leaving the children to muse on the situation.

Shinji said nothing, as was his way, whilst getting constant evils from Asuka. Samuel had a bemused expression, whilst Rei observed blankly from the kitchen. A few moments later, Misato returned with what appeared to be tight and ridiculous looking leotards on some hangers.

"You're going to be doing a lot of moving today, so you'll be needing these." She said cheerfully. The two children to which she held them out seemed like they'd beheld death incarnate. The Imperial took one look at the things, decided he wouldn't touch them with a ten foot long pole, and shook his head.

"Nah." He turned away.

* * *

 _A few hours later..._

She gently raised her hand and pressed the doorbell, hoping a non-confrontational face would meet her. Hikari had personally felt that one of the two boys she was accompanying should have done it, but alas at the last hurdle they'd lost their nerve.

"Horaki-san...what do we do if Soryu-san or Meadow-san are on the other side of that door?" Kensuke said nervously. The previous evening, Shinji had called both him and Toji to lament on how he was now having to share his home with the new arrivals.

The mere thought of living with just one of them was scary enough, but two all at once? That was horror beyond imagining...

"We'll be polite either way, it doesn't matter who answers. Besides, it'll be better than being bored." The pig tailed girl said, vaguely thinking about all the chores she'd have to do if she went home. Things that would be waiting for her, when she went home.

 _Cook for everyone...help Nozomi with her homework...make a packed lunch for Kodama...and say hello to father when he comes home._ _ **If**_ _he comes home..._

"I don't know, being stuck in a confined space with those gaijn doesn't sound fun." Toji mused, causing Hikari to whirl around on him with a glare.

"We won't be having any of that language in there. Understood?" She said sharply.

The jock mumbled something about "yes, class-rep."

With the school being closed down due to the big scary eldritch abominations residing not too far away, the three of them had plenty of time on their hands, and had elected to meet up somewhere. For reasons none of them had been willing to disclose, their places of residence had been out of the question, so they'd asked Shinji's, ergo Misato's, permission to spend a bit of the day at her place. Surprisingly, the Lieutenant Colonel had no problems with this at all, so they found themselves here.

The door hissed as it slid open, a pair of red eyes peeking out from behind it.

"Oh...good afternoon, Ayanami-san." Hikari gave a quick bow, which the other two boys followed with bows of their own. Rei stared blankly back at them, before, as Shinji had taught her, giving a slight nod in return.

"Good afternoon." She said in that whisp of a voice.

"Everyone else busy?" Kensuke said, having not really imagined the bluehead answering a door of her own volition.

"Pilot Soryu and Ikari-kun are... _training_. Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi is busy, and Pilot Meadow is laughing...so I am here." The bluehead said nonchalantly.

"Right...can we come in." Toji asked, shifting uncomfortably beneath that ruby red gaze. Not that he feared it at all, with the albino joining himself, Kensuke's and Shinji's small group, and showing herself to be a quiet yet nice individual...if her stance towards Shinji was anything to go on.

 _Nothing between them? Seriously man, I'm not stupid..._

"Of course. That is why I have answered your call." She stood away from the entrance, which allowed the three teenagers passage through into the complex. The stairs were quickly ascended, and in a matter of minutes they found themselves within the residence of Misato Katsuragi.

The cheerful purplehead greeted them herself, a large grin spread across her lips and hands upon her waist.

"Hey there strangers. Shinji-kun's classmates am I right?" She tilted her head slightly, gaining three nods in response.

"In that case-" She bowed slightly, gaining the exact same in return, as was custom of the Japanese culture when greeting others.

"-welcome to my humble abode. Sorry if it's a bit small. I've put some snacks out for you so help yourself-"

" _ **Ficking dummkopf!**_ _"_ A voice everyone in that house was all too familiar with barked, a whimper of "I'm sorry!" soon following it, accompanied by the sound of a shrill voice howling with laughter.

"I see training is going well, Katsuragi-san." Hikari said with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm, going better than it could be." The older woman shrugged her shoulders and ushered the children out of the hall way and into the living room. There, they found a most intriguing...and amusing sight.

Upon what appeared to be two dance mats, attached to a mechanical apparatus that measured the pressing of hands, knees and feet with electronic bleeps and bloops, were two teenagers making a desperate attempt at moving in synch. The sheer lack of coordination between the sounds was good indication the "team building" wasn't going very well so far.

Asuka was as quick as she was in combat, responding a little too quickly to the music that was playing. Shinji meanwhile slightly lagged behind, his brain processing the order before acting. Whilst they were doing as the music commanded, they could not do it in tandem.

Much to the redhead's frustration, and the Imperial's evident amusement.

"Careful, Asuka. Your face is so red I'm struggling to see your freckles." Samuel chuckled, sitting on the floor his arms folded behind his head, his back resting against the sofa.

She snorted in rage at that, then stopped mid movement upon noticing the new arrivals. Asuka remained frozen for a few moments, as Shinji gingerly looked up from his hunched over position. His lips curled into a weak but genuine smile.

"Hello." He said meekly.

"Shinji-san...what are you doing?" Toji observed, utterly confused, as were his other two companions.

Shinji sighed slightly before standing up and dusting himself down.

"It's synch training. NERV Command wants us working as a team better, so we're trying to practice moving in synch with each other-"

" **None of you saw anything**." Asuka's snarl interrupted him, causing the boy to wince slightly.

"Really? Because I see someone making a fool of themself, which makes me quite glad I came here." Hikari folded her arms, a wry smile crossing her lips. This provoked noises of horror from the other boys in there, including the Imperial whose eyes had widened, apathy from Rei, a low whistle from Misato, and various grunts and growls of indescribable rage from the German redhead.

Instead of being cowed however, Hikari's brown eyebrow simply rose. After all, she was quite familiar with handling outraged toddlers...

Asuka soon realised the class rep was completely unintimidated by her usually very imposing temper, and dropped her searing blue gaze back onto the mat and continued to practice moving, muttering a barely audible "Eh...whatever..." under her breath.

The atmosphere became normal again, as the two Pilots continued to try and move as one to the beat, whilst the rest of the apartment's current inhabitants and guests, sat themselves down by the table and talked among themselves.

"How long have they been up to that?" Toji asked, stretching his legs out.

"The past three hours...there has been little progress." Rei quietly noted, angling her gaze downward into her book.

"Shit..."

"Hey, small steps, we'll get there." Misato cut in with a tone that indicated "don't worry, it's all under control." Something even she knew to be nonsense.

"Oh don't rush them, I'm enjoying this." Samuel quietly laughed, quickly casting his gaze upon yet another "ruckus."

Asuka was venting at Shinji again, pointing at him, declaring he was an "animated turnip" or something along those lines. From a distance it was rather amusing, but for poor Shinji it was quite terrifying.

Kensuke's shoulders slumped.

"Oh today of all days, is the one where I leave my camera at home...Spirits!" He grumbled.

"She'd pull it out of your hands, and shove it up your arse. I'm not joking, Asuka doesn't like witnesses to the rare occasions she gets things wrong." The Imperial directed at the geek, causing a paling of said geek's skin.

"So...Meadow-san...how are you finding things in Japan? It must be very different here when compared to Britain." Hikari said, eager to take the conversation elsewhere.

"Well...it's not awful. You have some semblance of manners I suppose, and your military might is to be respected. Most things are fast, efficient, and advanced here, but... all the bowing...the stiffness...those strange words you put on the end of names...your complete lack of understanding for privacy, and oh good lord, your alarming obsession with teenage girls..." His pale expression winced at the mere thought. How thankful the Emperor had decreed paedophilia to be a capital offense...

 _I've said it before, but my god we've got our work cut out civilising you lot._

"Hardly anyone looks at that shit, buddy. It's nasty, the people who like it are nasty, but at least they can be sick in a fictional world instead of reality." Toji added, crossing his arms in slight irritation. Honestly, the amount of times foreigners got things wrong about his people...

 _Just because it's legal doesn't mean everyone likes it...for Spirits' sake..._

"Hmm...perhaps...anyway, I presume you're all local here?" Samuel said, lightening the mood a little.

Three "yeses", and a "no" soon responded, Rei remaining in silence.

"Ah. Pray tell, what was this place like before it became the capital? Much less bustling I imagine?"

Hikari let out a slight whistle as she cast her memory back.

"You're reaching back over twelve years, Meadow-san. When we were in pre-school, there were a few settlements around here which eventually fused, but we didn't become Tokyo-3 until after Tokyo-2 got levelled."

"I see. But why do you keep numbering them though? I mean, we didn't rename Bristol _London-2_ after we lost the old capital, so why do you?" He asked, curiously.

"It's mostly out of respect to Old Tokyo I assume. Aside from that, no idea. Maybe the National Diet just felt like it..." Misato cut in, sipping a freshly acquired can of beer.

 _Yeah, I don't see Motichka being really into naming cities. Especially naming them after the place where she lost everything...poor woman_

As much as the purplehead thought the General was "a bitch", in some ways she felt nothing but pity for her. After all, Misato Katsuragi knew what it was to lose everything you love all at once. However, she corrected herself, General Motichka had given the order to slaughter thousands on _Bloody April 14th._ She was an iron fisted dictator, nothing more, nothing less.

"I suppose that makes some sense." Samuel nodded to himself before lying back a bit. Kensuke began nervously but inquisitively looking back and forth between the Imperial and Toji. The black haired jock noticed this, and produced a sigh.

"Alright, Kensuke-san. Uh...Meadow-san?" He said, awkwardly.

"Hmm?" The blonde aristocrat said, electric blue gaze meeting brown.

"Sorry to bother you, but my friend here is wondering if you're of any relation to High Field Marshal Alexander Meadow. It's...it's just your surname and all-"

"Yes."

That simple word stopped Toji dead in his tracks, and caused Kensuke's eyes to widen.

"What do you mean, **yes**?" The geek leaned forward, his inner military otaku squealing in delight.

"As in _yes_ I'm related to him. Unless Mum was seeing people behind his back, which I doubt..." The Imperial chuckled at his slight joke.

There was deathly silence on the part of the three newcomers for a few moments, until Hikari managed to stammer out some words after overcoming her initial shock.

"Let me get this straight. You...you are the son of Alexander Meadow. The conqueror of France, the humbler of the Feds, one of the British Emperor's right hand men, the High Field Marshal of the Great British Empire, that is your father?"

"In short, yes. Can't be that hard to understand, I have got his eyes and hair colour after all." Samuel said as if this should be obvious. All within Imperial society recognized him on sight, but here...even his father's name was a distant thing to the locals.

"Wow...the Empire must expect a lot from you-" The pig tailed class rep was saying before Kensuke burst in, beaming ear to ear.

"I've studied your father's campaigns, he's a military genius! What's he really like!?" The geek might as well have said, _can I have his autograph_ when he'd gotten that far into the Imperial's personal space. Samuel however, handled it with a tact he'd been taught from his early years.

"If you would kindly get out of my personal space, I'll tell you all that I know. After all, how can a child of the Empire deny a barbarian the chance to hear of its glory." He ushered the sandy haired boy back, whom was somewhat held down by the other two he'd travelled with.

"Whilst his official residence is at Meadow Manor, my father is a very busy man so he isn't there all that often. When he is...he's quiet but not quite cold, if you get my meaning." The Imperial was quick to add, hoping not to give a poor image of his father. Clearly, from the nodding of heads, the message was received. Even Misato had her attention engaged, as she was a soldier, and Alexander Meadow was perhaps the best of their age, with maybe the Federal Legate Gregory Johnson being his possible match.

The battle of Quincy/Hannibal was the one time the two men had met on the field, and that was relatively indecisive.

"As for how he comes up with his strategies, our library is fully stocked with books and journals on the campaigns of Caesar, Frederick, Hannibal, Karl XII, Napoleon, Alexander the Great, all that sort of stuff. He basically taught himself how to lead armies." Samuel had many a fond memory of his home's library, shelf upon shelf of past general's wisdom waiting to be sampled. Perhaps it was in that great, warm, and comfortable room he'd decided to be a soldier.

"Wow...I wish I had a library..." Kensuke whispered in a dreamlike tone.

"Eh, I don't do so well with books. There's nothing in there a good documentary can't teach you." Toji chimed in.

"I'll drink to that. Books are a little bit boring to me anyway." Misato agreed cheerfully, as was her way. The Imperial merely sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well maybe they are to people with the literary capability of an-"

" _ **Dummkopf!**_ " Asuka's bellow echoed across the room. Shinji had fallen over himself once again, and now the redhead was positively seething.

"So much for synchronization! I can do a lot of things, but I could **never** sink to this snail's level. The whole thing's impossible if you ask me!" She pouted putting her hands on her hips. The brown haired boy cowered on the floor.

Whilst all others gazed at her, Misato raised an eyebrow at behaviour she was quite used to.

"I see...what do you think, Shinji-kun? Is Asuka-san over exaggerating?" She directed at her primary charge.

"No...not at all...I'm just a bit slow..." He said quietly, being drowned out once again.

"Damn right you are! _Gott_ , perhaps if I **hit** with something to make you go faster..." Asuka grumbled, scanning the room for some sort of stick.

"Perhaps you were moving too quickly-" Rei attempted to put across, driven slightly by a desire to protect the first person who'd ever shown her unconditional kindness. However, the redhead was every bit as fiery as her hair colour that day.

"Shut up, First! If you think you're so good, why don't **you do it**." Asuka sneered, only to be surprised by the albino not just being un-bothered by her temper, but also responding.

"As you wish." She gently picked herself up off the floor and walked over to the mats, still clothed in school uniform.

Asuka was half tempted to shout her down, to push her away, not literally of course. But she felt that it would be more fun to watch the clone make a fool of itself, whilst a little bit deeper down, the redhead couldn't deny someone rising to a challenge. In fact, she respected that.

"Alright, knock yourself out..." She lazily gestured with her hand, vacating her mat. Standing aside, she folded her arms and watched Rei get into a crouching position. Shinji gave a look of tired gratitude at all he had left of his mother, and soon copied the stance.

The music began to play...and there was not a single misstep. The artificial human split her attention between accepting the commands of song, and calculating her "partner's" reaction times. The latter was surprisingly simple, as in that regard Rei knew her brother liked time to process things, only requiring that she slow down.

The two moved methodically and capably, not quite with grace or passion, but efficiently and almost militarily.

The sound of the music slowly died down, and the two "offspring" of Yui Ikari returned to their original stance. There was a round of applause from those seated around the table, aside from Samuel who raised a mildly impressed eyebrow.

Asuka however...her eyes had widened. Oddly enough it wasn't in rage, or anger, or hate...but fear. Fear and distress.

Her gaze frantically flashed backwards and forwards between the two on the mats, and the other current inhabitants of the apartment.

" **No!** " She yelped, halfway between frustration and...despair...before scrambling out the room, into the corridor, and out of the apartment, the door slamming behind her. All present watched the small display, with Toji being the one to wonder aloud, "what the hell was that about?"

"Oh dear...give me a moment." Samuel slowly stood up, his face surprisingly stony and his tone...a little sad. Sighing, he quickly disappeared outside in pursuit of his friend.

* * *

He didn't rush at all, knowing full well that she needed a few minutes to cool her temper. Granted, Asuka would most likely be receptive to his presence regardless, but at least this way she'd be a bit less hostile.

And the redhead **hated** being ratty with her only friend, and vice versa. It was one of the few things that would make both of them feel guilty.

The Imperial eventually found her in the nearby convenience store, roaming around in the cold drinks section, a thoughtful scowl etched on her pretty features. He stood about three metres from her with a rare look of concern and patience.

"Are you alright?" His gloved hands remained behind his uniformed back, as he calmly appraised her. A sapphire gaze soon met his, one that was deeply troubled.

"What do you think?" Asuka instinctively snarked, then winced in regret and dropped her head. Her friend of course, didn't bat an eye at this.

"Not doing well at dancing isn't the end of the world. You've seen how bad I am at the Manor's yearly ball." He said, humour inflected into his tone.

"It's not like that..."

"It sort of is...except I'm not stepping on your foot this time..." Both chuckled at that.

Samuel made a slight smile, one of chastisement but also one of reassurance.

"Asuka, only a specific, elite, few, can pilot Evangelions. And you're still one of the best of the best. Don't let some daft team building exercise make you think otherwise." He offered.

She closed the fridge door, having retrieved a can of ice cold soda. She stood up with a mildly accepting look, before it changed into humoured confusion.

" _One_ of the best?" She smirked.

Samuel shrugged.

"It's yet to be decided whose the best between us. But even in the worst case scenario, being second to me is hardly a fate worse than death..."

"Oh...that's fighting talk, Samuel Meadow."

The two laughed again, before Asuka returned to a more serious tone.

"What am I going to do? It's hardly my fault if I'm too quick for him..." Her head angled downwards at the floor, her spare hand placing itself on her hip. In terms of "Asuka" body language, this meant "deep in thought."

The Imperial knew very well this was not something to be interrupted, so he kept quiet and turned to look out the window and watch the world go by.

Life in 21st century, post impact Japan, could honestly have been worse. Ever since the JSA had declared themselves, military, police force, and judiciary system, and utterly crushed any dissent, the country had become a stable place once again. It's democracy was lost, with only the "Free Japan" movement attempting to restore power to the National Diet and the people. However, as their methods were not...ethical...popular support was not high for them, making the rule of the Defence Board unchallenged.

With stability restored, foreign investors had returned to what was once the economic power house of Asia, bringing business, commerce and jobs to the nation. Not to mention the lucrative arms deal the JSA had with Kotai Industries provided an almost unending amount of jobs. Work was not an issue in the State of Japan. People and cars moved along the street, showing a bustling city and thriving economy.

But the blue coated, armed men marching through on patrol, and the constant presence of five FCVs in the sky above them, was a reminder of the cost the Japanese people had to pay for their prosperity.

It was in among the crowd, Samuel noticed an individual nervously looking around, clad in a ridiculous leotard that got looks from many people, causing him to blush in embarrassment. From beneath a mousey brown fringe, a pair of cerulean eyes set themselves upon Samuel.

The aristocrat sighed, then beckoned him over.

"Talk of the devil...looks like we have company." Samuel nodded towards the shop window, at the sight of a very meek looking Shinji approaching it. Slowly, he pushed open the door, and made his way to the two's location.

It had been a few minutes after Samuel left, that he'd decided to follow. As little as he knew of human interaction, even he had seen the pain in her eyes, and thus Shinji had immediately started worrying he'd somehow hurt her feelings. Which, with Shinji being Shinji, he automatically assumed he had. Even then it took a little bit of encouragement from Hikari surprisingly, with the rest of them not overly interested, to get him to pursue the redhead.

" _I'm not saying it's your fault, or anyone's. But it's best not to let these things fester. Go on, get after her."_

As suicidal as the operation sounded, he heeded those words. Which was what brought him here, somewhat bent on fixing whatever he'd done.

Even if he hadn't done anything at all.

Gingerly, he stood a few metres from them, his hands frantically fiddling with each other.

"Um...I didn't upset you or anything did I?" Shinji said in a nervous tone, one he used a great deal, especially around these two. The Imperial raised an eyebrow at his "pathetic" form, and the freckled Teuton loudly exhaled through her nose, sapphire eyes still fixed on the floor.

Slowly she raised her head to look the meek Japanese boy in the eye.

 _Can't make this easy on me can you, Third?_

It would be so much easier if Shinji was both irritating and unpleasant, then she could just straight up dislike him. But no, he **had** to be just a little bit sweet, and very soft. Therefore, Asuka didn't have the heart to hate him.

But she could be angry with him.

"Don't snivel, you'll make me sick." She quietly growled.

Shinji bowed his head, the awkwardness almost being too much for him.

"Sorry." He stammered out. This didn't help in the slightest, as Asuka explosively sighed.

"Don't do that as well. _Gott_ , you're such a doormat...oh don't start crying..." Her words being directed at Shinji's form being on the verge of breaking, through fear and upset.

 _Of course I've hurt her feelings. I can't do anything except that._

"Look. I'll make you a deal, Third. I'll try and slow down a bit, you try and speed up a bit. Deal?" The redhead offered, not actually wanting friction on this.

 _We need to make this work. If we don't...the Seraphim destroy everything. My pride is important to me...but not that important._

"I'll try." Shinji responded, limply.

"...alright...that will have to do." Asuka nodded in acceptance.

* * *

It had been a long day, Misato mused.

The thirty year old soldier had not been overly shocked to see Asuka throw her dolls out of the pram, and was actually quite pleasantly surprised to see her come back and put more effort into their training than she'd ever seen before.

Hikari, Toji, Kensuke, and Rei had left about half an hour ago, the sun setting indicating they needed to get home. Politely bidding farewell, and cleaning away whatever cutlery or dishes they'd dirtied, by command of the Class Rep, they'd left the apartment a much quieter place. Granted it was still quite crowded in there, having three teenagers and a fully grown adult would do that to a place.

Now she was in the kitchen, having attended to dinner and held back on the spice, Samuel's situation the previous day being good incentive.

 _Shinji says it'll take a while to clear the toilet...Spirits on high, sorry I did that to you, kid._

Speaking of which, the Imperial in question was currently residing upon the sofa, occasionally glaring at the Penguin which sat next to him whilst they watched the television. It had taken ten minutes altogether, but Samuel had now firmly placed himself in the "High Imperial" part of the channels.

Outside upon the balcony however, were Asuka and Shinji, having "finished" their training for the day. He was simply relaxing upon a folding chair, and of course, she, was standing, with the sun's beams falling down upon her. They'd both sweat buckets over the past few hours, in attempt to "move as one." Whilst they hadn't quite achieved that, the two were much better at it than when they started in the morning. Misato honestly wondered what had brought about such a change in their attitudes.

 _Have they just talked it out? No...Shinji's too much of a doormat, and Asuka would never admit that she's in the wrong. Eh, Amaterasu must have lent a hand._

And thus the purplehead continued with the crafting of her "utterly neutered" Curry surprise.

Meanwhile, outside the glass doors and on the balcony, the two teens resided in quiet and peace, having assumed a normal pattern of breathing after a great deal of panting due to their "team building exercise." Both of them had the general feeling that it wasn't very successful, as whilst they could tolerate each other, they certainly weren't "friends" or anything.

 _Probably never will be..._ Shinji had to stop himself there. He'd befriended Rei, somehow made friends with Kensuke and Toji, even establishing an amicable acquaintance with the class rep, although he felt that was more due to her feeling responsible for him and the rest of the class.

So...miracles were possible, how else was he still alive?

"I think we're getting better." He said, marvelling at the orange sky made by the setting sun, and the various FCVs hovering in the heavens.

"Slowly...at this rate **you** might be ready for those Seraphim." A small smile curled into existence on Asuka's lips, as Shinji made a few noises of annoyance.

"Me? I wasn't the one who took an eldritch hammer to the face!"

"Well maybe if you weren't sitting on your arse-"

"I was covering Ayanami-chan!"

"Whatever..." She waved those words away, leaving the two in silence.

They remained there, in the quiet and the awkwardness, for roughly a minute before the redhead spoke again.

"I was angry at you. But only a little bit...and it wasn't entirely your fault." She said, thoughtfully.

Shinji didn't say anything, fearing what he might say may annoy her even more, or interrupt her.

"I'm just...not overly fond of being upstaged..." Asuka trailed off, the hand on her hip fidgeting slightly.

"Do you mean...when me and Ayanami-chan danced together?" He put forward tenderly, his own memory of it actually being quite positive. They knew each other, much better than anyone else in many ways, and could as a result move as one. There were no teamwork issues between Shinji and Rei.

"Jah." Asuka forced out, only just. She hated that it grated on her, seeing that "doll" do effortlessly what the redhead really struggled with. But grate on her, it most certainly did.

"That's important to you?" Shinji inquired, the tightening of her freckled features being enough indication to even him this had affected her in ways he didn't quite understand. However, immediately, the sullen and slightly angry expression vanished, to be replaced by one brimming with confidence and passion.

Asuka's usual face.

"Of course it's important, it's a matter of pride!" She said with utmost conviction, placing a hand on her chest.

In that moment, Shinji decided on something. Despite all the trouble she caused, how she talked down to him, and how very prideful she was, he couldn't help but feel admiration for her. It was clear to him that unlike his cowardly self, Asuka was fearless. She would do her job to the best of her ability, nothing less would be acceptable for her.

 _Maybe I can work with that..._

"Well...sorry if I scratched it in any way." He offered, as a way of appeasing her with slight humour in his tone. What he got was not scathing, but a gentle sigh and a shake of the head.

"Stupid Shinji."


	38. 9:6 Tension

_Thursday, the 27th of July, 8:00pm, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, NERV Quarters_

"Pilot Meadow, you are tired."

"Oh wow, thanks, _Plank_. I would never have noticed without that intensely astute observation."

"You are welcome."

"Ugh!"

The Imperial and the clone continued to move as the music commanded, with greater success than Shinji and Asuka started out with. Although, that likely came from their military training, or whatever training Rei had before any of them met her. Samuel of course had studied at Sandhurst and passed near the top of his class, so it wasn't surprising.

Shinji meanwhile hadn't accessed a gym in his life, whilst Asuka, who did keep herself fit, held only an honorary title in the Kaiser's airforce. Because oddly enough, the Reich, or any member of the European League, did not have a fondness for child soldiers...

Even then however the situation was comical, as Rei was better at this than Samuel, but he had far greater patience, and in a way, he could handle his pride being dented much more than Asuka. Of course, he wasn't helping himself by insisting that he remain in uniform. They could only just get the aristocrat in a plugsuit, but the leotard was too much.

"Better than anything on television, isn't it?" Asuka grinned, gaining a slight smile and nod of the head from Shinji. The latter sat upon the sofa in his normal clothing, Pen-pen snuggled up to him, channel ghibli on, whilst the former stood behind him, a glass of water in hand. Her casual dress of a pink shirt with short jeans, gave the image of a normal teenage girl.

Something he knew to be false, but that wasn't a bad thing. After all, he was hardly an ordinary boy.

"I guess." He acknowledged.

"Hmm...how're you doing down there, Sam?" Asuka looked down on the panting Imperial.

"Not...heh...well...heh..." He huffed, collapsing on the floor and deciding not to move for a while.

"Meadow, you have stopped." Rei noted.

"Perceptive as always!" Samuel growled.

"You're right, Soryu-san. This is better than anything on television." Shinji chuckled a little.

"But we have only been training for an hour." The albino tilted her head, as Samuel rolled over onto his back.

"Yes, exactly. **One hour straight**. What sort of steroids are you taking to do this sort of thing..."

"But I have not been prescribed any..."

"Good god, Plank, it's a joke!"

He continued to be frustrated by Rei's sheer inadequacy at social things, which entertained the other two children.

 _His temper is about as short as Soryu-san's. Perhaps that's why they get along, it does take one to know one after all._ Shinji paused in his musings there.

 _Yes...how else could they have moved like that?_

The event to which he referred, occurred a few days before. He and Asuka had been struggling along, and whilst the redhead was improving, she was clearly still frustrated either by himself or something he didn't understand. They'd paused for a bit, sweating and panting, as she scowled slightly until Samuel suddenly pulled off his boots and gloves, marched over to her and with a quiet mutter of "come on," hauled her back onto the mats.

And they'd moved together, **perfectly**.

 _They must know each other really well...and by the looks of it, be about as close as me and Ayanami-san..._

"I suppose it makes sense...heh...you are a clone after all. You must have been born to do this sort of thing..." Samuel ran a hand through his blonde hair, as Rei pondered his question.

"I have received and carried out an exercise regime." She confirmed.

"As have I, an **Imperial Army** training regimen I might add. And I still can't go on as long as you can..."

"Did they engineer you from the ground up to be an athlete, First?" Asuka inquired, no hint of ill will in her tone. She was genuinely curious about one of mankind's technological marvels.

Rei's eyebrows knitted together, mulling over the things she knew for certain about her biology.

"I have enhanced muscle and cognitive capacity. Such specifications were largely derived from the _esperanza proejct_."

Shinji had no clue what that word meant, and Asuka had only vaguely heard of it. But Samuel...his blood ran cold. Horror stories his father had told him years ago, of British troops marching into a black site Spanish military base. Stories of tanks upon tanks of horrific abominations grown from human flesh.

They were super soldiers, bred to stem the Imperial tide in a last ditch effort on the part of the Spanish, but they didn't develop quick enough. Grand High Marshal Cromford declared the research, "un-ethical" and ordered it destroyed. It was said that some clones, those that looked vaguely human, had pity taken upon them, and were brought back to the homeland for integration into the Empire...whether that was true or not, Samuel didn't know.

"...that's got to be illegal..." He said darkly.

 _People are not cattle._

"You are correct...I should not exist..." Rei nodded.

Samuel's expression went straight from "cocky" to "horrified" in a few seconds flat.

"Oh no, no, no, goodness gracious I didn't mean that. I don't find your existence regretful, Rei. I was just saying how your...creation...defies a few laws." He threw up his hands in placation.

"...oh god, I'm not making this any better am I?" He mumbled to himself.

"The situation does not require improvement. It is simply a fact, I should not exist. I am an aberration of nature, nothing more, nothing less." Rei cut off any further conversation, as she stood up from her crouching position.

"That shall be enough. We require rest for tomorrow. I shall cleanse myself." The artificial human walked off to the bathroom without so much as another word, leaving the three natural born humans to their own devices.

"Would you mind being a bit more careful with what you say, Meadow-san?" Ayanami-chan is...sensitive...in her own way..." Shinji said awkwardly. His own heart had almost ripped itself apart after hearing what sounded like Rei regretting her own existence.

"Yes...of course..." The Imperial responded, slight shame in his tone. As despite him thinking of them as "bunch of barbarians", Samuel Meadow was not an individual who enjoyed upsetting people.

"Didn't seem all that upset to me." Asuka chimed in, gaining a raised eyebrow from her friend.

"Demonstrating your formidable people skills as always, Asuka." Samuel sighed.

"Shut up, Sam."

"As you wish...I'm getting some fresh air, be back in a bit." He hauled himself off the floor, then vacated the room so as to stand on the balcony.

"Soryu-san?" Shinji said, fiddling with his hands slightly.

"Jah, Third?" Replied the redhead, quietly watching the television with him.

"What's the esperanza proejct?"

Asuka let out a low whistle.

"I've only heard bits and pieces. Still sounds horrific whatever way you put it...it was a cloning project created by the Spanish. It was the last year of the war, and Europe was on its knees. People resort to awful things to survive, Third...and the project was one of them. They tried to grow an army of super soldiers...only a few worked out." Shinji had never seen her expression darken like that before, but he understood.

Anyone who survived Fukuyama knew what people resorted to, simply to keep on living.

"How do you mean, _only a few worked out?"_ He pressed on gently. Asuka exhaled, not in aggressive way, but one that seemed disturbed.

"Luckily, Third...I really don't know. And I don't think I want to..."

* * *

Meanwhile within the kitchen, Misato quietly sat with her usual can of beer in hand, a newspaper strewn across the table. On the other side, resided Pen-pen, his own can sitting empty in front of him.

Years ago, it had been confusing for her to see an animal behave like this, but not any more. For Pen-pen was not an animal, he was a person as far as she was concerned. However, the strange looks Samuel kept giving, ones of absolute bafflement, were nothing short of hilarious to her, especially when Misato understood his confusion.

The paper was the usual stuff, some headlines, tabloids, gossip, Motichka making another speech about "sacrifice for the homeland," and of course the usual article of "who are NERV?"

 _The public's getting fascinated with us. Well let them, Section 2 won't allow anything too important to slip out._

If the Seraph war ever came to an end, then it wasn't unlikely a great deal of information would be disclosed. She had little doubt there would be public uproar over children being used against such monstrosities. But it had to be done, there was no other way.

 _You bet I'd be doing it in their place if I could..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mobile ringing. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, followed by a sigh as she flipped it open, saw who was calling her, and hit answer.

"Supreme Commander." She said stiffly.

"Lieutenant Colonel, it is time. Bring the children into NERV Central, and brief them. That is all." The line went dead.

 _Talkative as ever, sir._

Misato grimly looked up from her phone and at the two children, who but moments before had been happily talking among themselves. Now, she'd have to send them and the rest into battle again.

She wasn't sure how she lived with herself sometimes.

But they had a plan this time, and knew their enemy better. A plan which she had mostly formulated by herself, which made the Lieutenant Colonel dwell on one of the only good points about working under Gendo Ikari.

When it came to military matters, he deferred to her.

Usually.

Scraping her chair back, the thirty year old stood up and walked into the lounge. As she was still in her skimpy attire of yellow shirt and blue shorts, Misato felt she'd have to give everyone a few minutes to get themselves ready. The heads of Asuka and Shinji turned to face her. Misato knew from the looks on their faces, they understood what was about to happen.

"We move out in fifteen minutes." Her jaw tightened. "It's time."

* * *

 _Outskirts, 8:45pm_

NERV and the JSA knew where the Seraphim were, their energy reading devices proving invaluable. But keeping visual with them was impossible, as even the quietest Spy Drone would be noticed and erased from existence. If they could have watched the brother's movements however, the whole of humanity would have been surprised.

The two giants stomped around, having spent the last six days rejuvenating themselves after the Vooren attack. No deadly damage had been done, nor could it ever have been, but burns were not something one wanted to march into battle with. Now however, they were healed and almost ready to continue their assault. Just one more night would be required.

 _ **Israfel?**_ Isrefael asked.

 _ **Yes?**_ The elder and stronger brother turned to face his younger sibling.

 _ **Can we discard these forms, just for tonight? I tire of this...**_

 _ **Hmm...we are in agreement. Until the sun comes up then.**_

And thus, the two titans shrank, the pigment of their skin turning alabaster white, their eyes becoming a ruby red, and what appeared to be crude lamellar armour formed around them.

Long white hair and royal blue capes fluttered freely, as the two children of Netzach took deep natural breaths of the old realm's air.

"So much warmer, this place. Not at all like those icy wastes we woke to." Israfel mused with a blissful smile, as what he would describe as "lung nectar" seeped through his being. Meanwhile, Isrefael had knelt down, removed a gauntlet, and was running his bare hand over the grass.

"Beautiful." He whispered.

The elder brother did not make any noise of agreement, as none was needed. Slowly, the brothers surveyed their surroundings. One of hills and forests. It was a gorgeous sight in its own way, but not one that compared to Old Aesylia.

The trees did not reach to the heavens, with trunks thicker than mountains, no night sky illuminated by the fire of volcanoes, no great fields of fertile earth, out of which strong, dark green grass grew. The only thing comparable to this was perhaps the great plains of the Fheiran, but even then no tree of the old realm was as miniscule as these...shrubs.

But it was still a place filled with life, unlike the artificial and sterile Vhaayn. So therefore, the brothers were more at home here.

"I'll pull down one of those glorified twigs and make a fire. You find us something to eat." Israfel nodded at Isrefael, making his way to a nearby tree. With one chop of his hand, he cleaved it in two, leaving only a stump. He then set to pulling the felled tree apart into crude logs, scooping up a fair amount of them in his arms and moving back to the large clearing they had decided to rest at. Isrefael had already returned from his hunt, what we would know as a deer lying dead at his feet, the scorched hole through which his spear of lightening had driven through, still being visible.

"Aren't you going to skin it, little brother?" Israfel smirked as the brother in question paled. It was bizarre that someone so apt at killing was squeamish.

Sighing, the elder brother unsheathed a knife, knelt down, and began to methodically remove the skin and other things they didn't need. In the meantime, Isrefael had set himself to piling the logs. Once that was done, he gently put his hand on one of them, a faint glow being emitted from it before their campfire crackled into life.

The deer was now prepared, a sharp stake driven through it. The brothers then set to putting up two wooden stands for the spit roast to rest upon, placed the chunk of meat upon it, and happily waited as it cooked.

They could have done this in a heartbeat by scorching it, but that was not what they wanted. In this world, a bountiful place of plenty, they would have the quality of a slow roast. But now, whilst the brothers waited for their "dinner", they had things to talk of.

"It's not going to be easy tomorrow, is it? The _Vooren_ have their backs against the wall." Isrefael said, anticipating yet worrying about the upcoming battle.

"I don't know. The blue and the black one seemed relatively simple to deal with. The white one is a good shot, but we don't know much about it. Old purple however...that's who's been killing our kin." Harshness crept into Israfel's tone, as he thought back to that night before it all went so horribly wrong. That great banquet, the laughter, the drinking, the brawls...mother's smile...it all seemed so long ago.

Which it was. The calamity occurred many ages ago, but to them it had been a simple closing of the eyes...and then awakening to the attempted genocide of their people.

"I think you're right." Isrefael nodded. "He knew exactly what was coming his way..." He thought back to his battle with the "Evangelion", and how it moved with professionalism. Such ability only came from experience.

"Even the bravest warrior bleeds like all others. They will fall, mark my words." The elder brother put his hand on his sibling's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

The two continued to sit for another half hour, the sound of crickets and bird song filling the world. It was...a beautiful composition of nature.

Their meal being finally ready, they divided it into two parts and ate it straight off the bone. Despite it being like nothing they'd ever tasted, the meat was adequate.

"Animals are so small here..." Isrefael mused.

"This is a world of weaklings. It's to be expected." Israfel responded, tearing off another chunk.

With their meal finished, the two brothers looked up at the stars and admired. It truly comforted them, knowing their mother was looking down from on high.

"Brother?" Said the younger.

"Hmm?" Said the elder.

"What are we going to do if we win?"

" **When** we win."

"Sorry..."

"Don't be...well...by my reckoning there should be about a few million women in that city. So, that means there will be **plenty** of pretty ones." Israfel heartily laughed at his sibling's paling expression.

"Don't worry, I'll save some for you!" He patted the smaller Divine on the back.

"Right..." Isrefael muttered.

"Oh come now, if you put off bedding a woman any longer, people will start to whisper-"

"Oh come on!"

"I'm not saying anything. I'm just saying there is probably a girl in that city who will spread her legs for you. Or a lad if that's your preference!" The elder began roaring with laughter as the younger huffed, before chuckling as well.

"The only thing that's worse than you, is Matarael when he's drunk."

* * *

 _NERV Central, briefing room, 9:30pm_

The five figures stood within that dark room, looking upon a holographic display of the local landscape. Four of them stood plugsuited at attention, and prepared to receive orders. The other resided on the opposite side of the display, arms folded.

"First of all, this is not going to be easy. Not by a long shot." Misato began, examining the expressions of the soldiers under her command. Four teenagers.

"The hostiles have shown immense power and tactical know how. This is an enemy that understands us, and they made good use of that in the last engagement. We have superior numbers, and we need to use them." She pushed a button on the table, causing two holographic Seraphim to storm into the city.

"As we are within Tokyo-3 itself, you can receive constant resupply of weapons and ammunition if things go south, but I'm hoping it won't come to that."

The next stage of the plan showed the monsters continuing their march, until one of the vast skyscrapers was shaken by explosions at its foundations, and toppled over on them. The display was then frozen.

"This is when you have to hit them, right here, right now." Misato put harshness into her tone to get her point across. She pointed her finger at the two eldritch princes, who were frozen in reaction to the building collapsing upon them.

"Their strength is in numbers, and we **have** to deny them that. Divide and conquer, keep them separated, and we can deal with them piece by piece." She trailed off, satisfied the children understood, when Shinji surprisingly spoke up.

"I assume that means two teams of two?" He said nervously.

"That's right." Misato nodded.

"Then who goes with who?"

"Good question, Shinji-kun. Owing to the... _combat styles_...of the Seraphim, the teams will be set up to deal with their respective Seraph. Shinji-kun, Asuka-san, you're the best at close quarter combat, so you take big boy here. Meadow-san, Ayanami-san, you have lighter Units so you'll have less trouble keeping up with _skippy_. Unit 03 shall engage with its prog blade, and Unit 00 will provide cover fire with a pallet rifle. We can't use positron weaponry within the confines of the city or we'll cause collateral damage. Is that understood?" Her words were met with acceptance, both unflinching, nervous, and regretful, but acceptance nonetheless.

"Alright then... _divide and conquer_ , people. Keep that in mind...dismissed." Her words became thoughtful. The two western pilots nodded their heads and walked out of the debriefing room. Rei, proceeded to salute, and a few moments later, tentatively and slowly, Shinji copied her.

The puprlehead felt a great deal of stress drop off her shoulders in that moment, and raised her own arm to salute him back. Then the offspring of Yui Ikari were gone, leaving Misato alone to look over the map.

 _To hell with this. We've already got the plan figured out, I'm getting a beer...Spirits know, I need one._

* * *

 _NERV Tower, half an hour later_

"NERV Tower" was supposedly the central building of the organization, where the Commander's office was and things such as that. In a way, this was true, it was the "official" hub of the enigmatic group, but that was a front. A front to keep prying eyes from what lay beneath the city.

Today however, it seemed the tower was actually being put to use by some unlikely individuals.

Once again, it seemed, at least to Shinji's eyes, that whoever built some of NERV's buildings, in particular the medical ward and this place, clearly clashed with his father's manner of design. The pretty little garden situated on a small balcony, with the light of the stars shining down upon him, being testament to that.

He leaned on the small wall by the edge, listening to the sound of crickets at night, whilst just behind him to his left, Rei sat on one of the seats provided. They hadn't really been talking, just enjoying each other's company until the albino felt curious again.

"What do you think of our counterparts?" She said quietly.

"Hmm?" Shinji blinked and turned to face her, not having been listening.

"Our counterparts. What do you think of them?"

"Oh...um..." He ran a hand through his hair.

"I think they're alright. I mean...Meadow-san sees us as _barbarians_ , whilst Soryu-san sees us as _rivals_...at least, I think so." He trailed off, still unable to fathom the nature of the redhead. As for Samuel, he seemed like the classic snotty western aristocrat, with a conscience hidden deep down that occasionally surfaced, whilst Asuka was just all over the place. Sometimes she could be nice, other times she could be harsh. Sometimes she could be understanding, and other times an erupting volcano. The only thing she was consistent with, was her total lack of patience, and mild civility, even warmth at times, towards the Imperial.

Something no one else got.

"What about you?" He asked in return.

"I am undecided. They are...curious people." It was Rei's turn to look thoughtful.

"How so?"

"Both of them...they are insensitive, reckless and arrogant, yet...their hearts are pure..."

"How do you mean?" Shinji said, his eyebrows knitting together at the thought of his colleagues having "pure hearts."

"Although they possess no fondness for us both...they are willing to put that aside for the greater cause. And...it would seem...they wish no harm on us." Rei felt satisfied with her words, as confusing as they were to her.

 _Meadow may feel slight ambivalence to me, but he tries not to show it out of courtesy. Soryu however...she has taken a strong disliking to me, for reasons I do not understand._

"Maybe. Although I wouldn't put it past Meadow-san to try and conquer us when the war's over. _For the glory of the Empire_." Shinji said in a humoured tone, attempting to copy the accent and language of the British Major, knowing he would fail at it.

But the result, was yet another small, genuine, smile from his sister. And that made it worth it.

"And don't you forget it." Said a voice that caused Shinji to jump out of his skin. Standing in the doorway, leaning against the side with arms folded, was the Imperial Major, a smile present upon his lips.

"Oh-oh, Meadow-san! I-I didn't mean to-" The nervous Japanese boy was cut off by the raising of Samuel's hand.

"Nothing is above comedy, Shinji. That's something my people hold quite dear." He walked onto the balcony, and folded his hands behind his back.

"Did you two come up here for a bit of peace and quiet?" He asked.

"Um...yes. Me and Ayanami-chan like this sort of thing." Shinji said meekly, causing the aristocrat's smile to broaden.

"Ah I see. Forgive me for disturbing your little romantic moment." He laughed at the two's expressions of horror.

"It is not like that in the **slightest**." Rei's tone gained a sudden harshness, which took all present by surprise.

 _I do not understand. Just because I am friendly with a member of the opposite sex does not mean I am automatically attracted to him. Surely even a child can understand that!?_

"Right, and the Europeans will beat us in battle one day..." Samuel shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"We beat you plenty of times, dummkopf!" Said another voice, one whose owner had just been using the lady's bathroom.

"But you lost _ze vor_!" The Imperial cast the German a quick glance as she joined them. Asuka huffed, giving him a slight jab in the ribs, before standing at the very front of the group with hands on her hips.

 _It's only right that the leader should stand at the head..._

"What brings you two here?" Rei asked, annoyed her moment of peace had been shattered.

"Ah, just wanted to reassure you all with my presence." Asuka said flippantly and arrogantly, as was her way.

"You have not succeeded." The albino put bluntly, keeping in mind how easily this brash girl had been battered by the might of the Seraphim. If she did not learn to understand that power, and that victory could not be attained by one's self, her pride would cost the redhead her life.

No one saw it, but all could sense the narrowing eyebrows forming on Asuka's pretty features. An expression so pronounced, it stifled conversation for quite a while. So much so, Samuel started tapping his foot for entertainment or some other purpose.

Fifteen minutes later, the tapping still persisted. It almost sounded...nervous.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow, Meadow-san?" Shinji asked, as even he was not that socially blind.

Samuel scowled at that.

"No. A soldier of the Empire does not know fear. He knows only the desire to carry out his Emperor's command, and only triumph or death will stop him." His words were harsh, things that ironically could only have been said by someone under great duress. However, clearly this was something Shinji should not press.

"And you, Soryu-san?" He turned his gaze to the redhead.

"Nein. Just want to get on with it." Asuka responded, sighing deeply and fighting off the urge to fidget herself.

They continued to reside there, looking out over Tokyo-3 and all its bright lights. It was only after another two minutes, that Samuel spoke again, his foot still tapping.

"How do you stand it...the quiet?" He said curiously.

 _It's to be expected, everyone's been evacuated to the bunkers so no one would be moving around up here except for NERV...but...it feels like a graveyard. I don't like it._

Shinji and Rei both pondered this, having never really posed the question to themselves before. The albino concluded she simply was not bothered, that she wasn't programmed to feel fear. Shinji however, could well understand what Samuel was going through. It wasn't just the quiet, it was the sensation of one's stomach twisting and turning, the pounding of your heart, as you desperately wish for the whole thing to start so it could be finished. Unknown to him, every single soldier throughout history felt exactly the same.

"I try to think about other things. It's not easy, but it helps." Shinji offered, as usually his own thoughts were focused on not "screwing up" the operation. As he believed he would, despite evidence to the contrary.

"...I'll give that a go...thank you..." Samuel nodded, forcing his foot to stop tapping as he looked up at the stars. Thinking of all those science fiction stories he grew up on, and sitting on the sofa with his three elder brothers watching Star Wars for the first time, he couldn't help but smile sadly to himself.

"You know...me and Ayanami-chan have got your backs covered, come what may." Shinji meekly offered reassurance, feeling strangely compelled to do so.

 _He's scared, just like I am. Maybe for different reasons, but he's stressed at the very least. Soryu-san probably feels like that as well...damn, why is it **I** have to take care of you all?_

That feeling of responsibility, what had arisen in him a week before during their first engagement with the 8th Seraph, was something he couldn't shake. He was the most experienced, he knew the enemy better than most. Maybe not their origins or true nature, but he certainly understood their behaviour.

 _Dumb animals my ass. They probably still **believe** that as well._

"I don't require your comfort, Shinji...but it is appreciated." Samuel responded, some little part of him surprised by this show of "care." Perhaps the feeling could be described as "touched."

He brought himself over to Shinji's side, standing taller and straighter than the Japanese boy could ever manage.

"Off the battlefield you are a barbarian as far the Empire is concerned. An ally in the campaign against the Seraphim, and a possible weapon the State of Japan can use against us. But on the battlefield..." The Imperial looked thoughtful for a moment, before continuing.

"...I will have your back as well. The same could be said for my _illustrious_ colleague, am I correct?" Samuel directed at Asuka.

The redhead turned around after smoothing her features, and nodded in resignation.

"Jah. We win or lose this together, as much as that hurts to say. But, if we survive, I call dibs on the next one. **If** it shows up by itself..."

* * *

 _Cafeteria_

Most of NERV's staff were busy at their jobs, maintaining the Evangelions, guarding the facility, making sure there were no leaks of information, and being ordered around by Caspar to prevent anything exploding.

But in this moment, sitting all by herself, Misato Katsuragi was enjoying a moment of well earned peace, having spent the last week formulating a strategy and training her troopers for it. The most challenging aspect of it was being heavily outnumbered by teenagers in her own home, putting Misato at an immense tactical disadvantage.

 _But they don't cause too much trouble. They all keep themselves clean, they don't make any mess, Asuka hasn't kicked anyone in the face yet..._

It could truly be worse, she mused with a slight smile.

"And there I was thinking that people in our position needed to stay sober?" Said a voice that caused her smile to broaden.

"Hey, Rits-chan. Want to join me for a drink?" Misato beamed, but Ritsuko waved that away.

"Just coffee. I wreck my body enough with cigarettes..." The faux blonde muttered, filling up a cup with the black liquid from one of the cafeteria's machines, before making her way over to one of the few friends she had in the world.

Sitting down, she took a sip of the coffee and felt its warmth course through her.

"So what's the reckoning this will go horribly wrong as well?" She said sardonically.

"Pessimistic as usual." Misato said, humoured but not surprised.

"Pessimists don't get our hopes up, so we don't get let down. There's a few perks to it, I'll tell you that." Ritsuko shrugged.

"Do you think they're up to it though? Truly?" She added, her tone much more serious and contemplative now.

Misato leaned forward and knitted her eyebrows together.

"Truly?...yes. Yes I think they can. They've been training hard, and they will do their jobs. I'm not sure if we've got unit cohesion completely nailed down but...I think when it comes to the crunch, those four will work together."

"Hmm." Ritsuko said, not quite convinced.

 _The last time they went out, those westerners nearly got themselves and our Pilots killed. Although that's to be expected, their culture is a little...arrogant and ill mannered._

They sat in the quiet for a while, until the faux blonde spoke again.

"So you think their training went well?"

"Yes, without a doubt. Even if it's not perfect, they can actually work together now. Asuka-san gave me the most trouble...Spiritsshe is every bit as stubborn as I remember. Meadow-san was a little less of a problem, I suppose duty to his Empire is more important than his pride. Shinji-kun would be just fine if he had a bit more of a backbone, and Ayanami-san...well...she was never going to be a problem." Those words of slight praise for the albino caused a small smile to curl its way into existence on Ritsuko's lips.

 _That's my girl_ , she thought involuntarily.

Parched from all the talking, Misato took another great swig of her beer, relishing in the ice cold liquid that ran through her body, causing her spine to tingle.

"Don't drink that too quickly, you might intoxicate yourself." Ritsuko sighed in exasperation.

"Oh come on, Rits-chan, live a little!" The purplehead said boisterously.

"Indeed, one can isn't a problem." The two women turned their gazes to see Shiro Tenka march into the room with a grin only an old soldier could muster.

"Sub Commander Tenka, I wasn't expecting to see you around here..." Ritsuko trailed off, as the head of Section 5 sat down with them.

"Don't be so formal, rank won't matter if the Seraphim kill us all tomorrow. Do you mind?" He gestured at the packet of cans on the table, with Misato giving a shrug and a "go ahead." Picking one up, he eyed it quite happily as it called back fond memories.

"They'd give us whole bottles of sake during the war, keep our spirits up...heh..." Tenka chuckled at his unintentional pun, gaining deadpan expressions from his colleagues.

"You don't even have children, but you're making Dad jokes?" Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.

"I'm middle aged, Akagi-san. I'm halfway to death's door, I give twenty percent of my earnings to the damned state, and pay another five percent for the health service. I've earned my right to make them." He took a great long gulp of alcohol, wiping his lips with his hand.

"Spiritson high that's good. Now, as I overhead a little bit of your conversation about our new arrivals, I must ask, as you are both ladies, what do you think of our UN liaison? Strapping young lad isn't he?" His happy expression didn't fade, even as Misato's expression darkened.

"Oh dear, you've jumped on some egg shells there, Tenka-sensei." Ritsuko chuckled, unable to keep her mirth down.

"Have I?" He tilted his head.

"Kaji-san and I were...close friends about ten years ago." Misato shifted uncomfortably.

"She means boyfriend. Literally kept him in her bedroom for an entire weekend." The faux blonde emphasized, good memories of college coming back to her. Happy and carefree memories.

"Shut up." Misato grumbled.

"Ah, I presume you got unlucky. He does seem like the type that gets around with women a bit...I wish I was that age again, not old and grey." Shiro pouted.

" _Very astute Shiro-chan. Agent Kaji has already creeped on about seventeen of our female staff today."_ Caspar's voice butted in, utter glee in its tone as the purple head explosively sighed.

"Does the word _privacy_ , not mean anything to anyone these days?" She growled.

" _No need to be grumpy-"_

"No need to butt in on other people's conversations, Caspar-san."

" _Well I just thought it would be nice to talk about girls stuff-"_

"You're not a _girl_ Caspar, you aren't even human." Misato snapped, instantly regretting it as the A.I went silent and the other two Sub Commander's squirmed.

"Damn it...I-I'm sorry, it just slipped out..." Her words were met with silence.

"Well done, Misato-san. You've just upset the overlord." Ristuko rested her head on her hand, to which the purplehead raised an eyebrow.

"Can she get upset, did they actually program her with that?"

"Caspar is an artificial intelligence who feels just the same as we do." The faux blonde's green eyes had narrowed by this point.

"...so..." Shiro began, trying to lighten the mood and get back on topic. As despite being a man, he couldn't help but enjoy a bit of gossip.

"You and Agent Kaji have quite the history?"

"You could say that." Misato said, pursing her lips. More than enough information for the Doctor.

"Ah...women things...I'll take my leave then. Forgive me for disturbing you all." Shiro finished his can, pushed his chair out and stood up, brushing himself down a little.

"It's no problem." Ritsuko hastily added, whilst Misato continued to fume.

"Ah, but you see, Akagi-san, that is where you are wrong. This is some clearly sensitive material on a need to know basis. I have a feeling if I heard it, Lieutenant Colonel Kasturagi here would have to kill me." His words caused the thirty year old woman to quietly laugh, both in annoyance and genuine humour.

"Good day." He bowed, before strolling out the room. The two women sat in silence for a while longer, as Ritsuko drummed her fingers on the table.

"Kaji-san's only ever had eyes for you." She commented.

"Right..." Misato murmured.

"Oh come on, we both know what he's like. He's happy to see you-"

"Probably because he wants to get inside me again."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes.

" **You** dragged him into your room and fucked him senseless for forty-eight hours straight. You tell me who's the sex addict."

The purplehead crossed her arms.

"I know what you're trying to do, Rits-chan. It was a decade ago, it's over and done. I don't care any more..." Misato grumbled.

"Then why are you always so flustered whenever he gets brought up?" Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.

The NERV Lieutenant Colonel proceeded to huff and puff in indignation as her best friend quietly chuckled. Finishing her coffee, Ritsuko kept a small smile as she stood up, clicking her shoulders whilst she was at it.

"You know...if Kaji-san had been my boyfriend...I'd never have let him go." And there was real meaning to those words, ones of sadness and regret. Regret she'd never taken up the offers of other men her age back in college, and instead deluded herself into believing Gendo Ikari needed her.

 _What I wouldn't give to have never met that man._

Misato said nothing.

"Alright. See you tomorrow." Ritsuko nodded politely then walked off, leaving the purplehead alone with her thoughts.

* * *

 _NERV entrance one, 11:00pm_

They'd stayed on that balcony for quite a while, in the quiet moonlight. Not that their silence was born of discomfort, it was just not much else was needed to be said. So the four Pilots enjoyed their peace, then came back down to spend the night within NERV Central, both to have them in a place where NERV could keep an eye on them, and have them ready in case the Seraphim moved early.

NERV entrance one, was a good deal more grand than the hillside entry he'd first seen all that time ago. A huge, cavernous thing through which three of those massive lorries could drive abreast. Naturally there was a heavy concentration of Section 3 troopers, roughly sixty personnel altogether. Although the true power here, was five Yoroi battle tanks and an entire company of JSA soldiers.

As was understandable for a survivor of Fukuyama, Shinji felt far more at ease around the blue coated men and women, feeling they looked resplendent in their armour. He'd held that fascination since youth, since his days of growing up in Kure, although he preferred the uniforms of the State Navy...hence why he'd once had plans to wear one. Some naïve part of him had envisioned himself as commander of a small patrol boat or something of the like. Not a too important role, but one of worth.

And here he was, as Pilot of the most powerful war machine in history. Shinji could not comprehend how much had changed since he watched the fleet review in April and decided he may like to serve on one of those ships.

Then, his pace slowed. One of the tanks seemed a little familiar, with a painted red devil on its side. Its armour had been patched up, but Shinji could still see the scar from when another rail gun had embedded itself into the front. And thus, he took a detour, much to the curiosity of his colleagues.

The staff sergeant residing in the command hatch, turned his burned face towards the young man and produced a warm smile.

"Hello there, Ikari-san. Enjoying the fresh air?" He said.

"Hello...Sergeant...I'm sorry but I never got your name..." Shinji stopped mid sentence as the Sergeant raised his hand.

"Kiyoshi Yukimura, at your service."

"Ah, well...it's good to see you again, Yukimura-san." Shinji bowed slightly, gaining a nod from Kiyoshi.

"How are the rest of your crew doing?" The boy pushed on.

"They can tell you themselves. Boys, get up here, make a show of yourself!" Kiyoshi barked.

A few moments later, the other hatches opened and two more heads popped out. The youngest looked pleased to see Shinji, the other seemed grumpy as ever.

"Good evening, Ikari-san. That's a...strange uniform you've got there..." Seiichi Oshiro tilted his head as Shinji looked down at his plugsuit, agreeing with him whole heartedly.

"So Supreme Commander Ikari puts his Pilots in gimp suits. How much money do we give NERV again?" Eiji Fukui chimed in.

"Not enough for me to wear this, Spirits it's itchy." Shinji said without thinking, gaining a few chuckles from the crew.

"Itchy? I'll tell what's itchy, when your cybernetic leg _which is not supposed to feel anything_ starts itching, and you can never make it stop." Eiji grumbled.

"Um, excuse me, but who are you lot?" Samuel cut in, having followed Shinji over with the other children.

"Private Eiji Fukui, saviour of the nation, at your service. I basically drove this little bastard in on his first day, so you can thank me now." The tank driver put a hand on his chest with smugly.

"Can't say I've ever heard of you." Asuka commented.

"Ruin my fun why don't you..." Eiji pouted.

"Seriously though, who are they?" Samuel asked again, slight frustration in his tone.

"They're what they say they are. They got me and Misato-san into base when the first Seraph showed up." Weirdly, Shinji found himself amused by the memory of being crammed into that tank, and the uncouth nature of its occupants.

"And who might you be, young man?" Kiyoshi cut in.

"Major Samuel Meadow of the Imperial Britannic Army. The one with red hair is Hauptmann Asuka Zeppelin Soryu of the Luftwaffe, and Rei here...doesn't have a rank if I recall?" He got a nod of confirmation from the albino.

Kiyoshi cast his gaze upon the ethereal girl, and looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"You might not remember me, miss, but we've-"

"Staff Sergeant Kiyoshi Yukimura. You and your men delivered Ikari-kun safely. You have my gratitude." Rei gave a slight bow of her head, as her brother was teaching her.

"I'm glad you remember. It does me good to see you so well, especially after the state you were in back then..." His expression darkened.

"...okay...back on topic, we're basically here to save the world." Samuel finished with a winning smile.

"So you're all Eva Pilots?" Seiichi asked, with all four nodding.

"Oh shit, they've multiplied." Eiji grumbled again.

"Multiplied? Ha! I assure you, there's only one Eva Pilot elite here." Asuka said proudly, her hands instinctively moving to her hips so as to present an image of confidence and inner strength.

Eiji was not impressed.

"And it turns out you can replicate angst as well. The future of the nation is in the hands of horny, whiny, uppity teenagers, I'm just fucking done..." The hatch slammed shut as he disappeared from sight.

"Jah, you better run!" Asuka barked after him.

"So...you're going back into combat tomorrow?" Kiyoshi inquired, his gaze drifting off into the distance, the direction from where the enemy would come.

"The Seraphim? Yes...tomorrow." Shinji quietly confirmed, fear in his heart.

 _I know exactly what's coming...and I'm frightened._

"Can't say we envy you, going off to fight those things..." Seiichi nodded grimly, remembering the screams of the First Division fading into static as they were slaughtered by the might of a Seraph.

"Well well, is the cannon fodder thinking for itself?" Samuel said with a slight smirk, ignoring the elbow in the ribs from Asuka.

Kiyoshi deeply inhaled at that, and Seiichi narrowed his eyes.

"Young man, I was fighting the largest army on the planet whilst you were still in diapers. I've killed men with my bare hands, so don't question my ability as a soldier-" He was interrupted by the tank's front hatch flying open, an incensed driver popping out of it.

" **I'll slap your shit, boy!** " Eiji roared as desperately tried to get out of his hatch, and wriggle out of Seiichi's sudden grip on his legs.

"No, Spiritsdamn it, Eiji!" Whilst the two men struggled with each other, their Sergeant looked at the four children with sadness in his tired eyes.

 _You should be in school or at home, doing things teenagers do. Not here...not in a war zone._

"I suppose you'd best be getting off. Stay safe tomorrow, alright." He said sternly, gaining some nods and "Yeah, sure", as three of them continued on their journey back into NERV Central. However, Shinji stayed behind for just a few more moments.

"You as well, Yukimura-san, and the rest of you." He said in that meek voice, before, in a manner he'd done only a few hours ago for the first time, he raised his hand to his forehead.

The three men of the Akuma stopped what they were doing for a moment, touched by this show of respect. Slowly, they returned his salute. Satisfied, Shinji gave another nod before marching off to join his comrades.

And thus, in the peaceful moonlight, the children, their commanders and their subordinates, did what every single soldier on every single battlefield throughout history had done since the dawn of war.

Wait for the sun to rise.


	39. 9:7 Israfel and Isrefael, the Twin Heirs

_Friday the 28th of July, 7:00am, State of Japan, NERV Central, launch bays_

Once, the feeling of being shot to the surface would make Shinji jump out of his skin. But now, as he was slowly moved into position, he instinctively braced.

On his hud, he could see the holographic faces of all his colleagues. People who he was about to fight, and possibly die, alongside. But that was always the risk with this "job." Well it wasn't really a "job" as you'd be able to hand in a notice of resignation. With this...that wasn't an option.

" _So we're absolutely clear on your respective tasks?"_ Misato's face popped up on vid-link.

" _Hai_."

 _"Jawohl."_

"Yes, ma'am."

The purplehead inhaled and nodded in slight satisfaction. This would do, it would have to.

" _Alright then, operation begins in T-minus five minutes."_

The face disappeared.

The tension didn't leave his shoulders, not for a moment. It persisted in all its crushing glory, as it had done from the day he'd first stepped inside this strange "war machine." Although, as he knew without a doubt, and reckoned many of NERV's staff did as well, it certainly wasn't a machine.

 _What is Eva? Heh, knowing my luck I'll probably never find out._

And then his gaze fixed on a pair of red eyes, his heart twisting in pain. It didn't feel right he wasn't going with Rei, but that was the order. The two had built up a trust, no, a friendship. And it truly concerned Shinji her life was in the hands of a near stranger.

As it was vice versa.

 _Soryu...he will die for you, but I doubt you'll do it for him._ A little part of the albino's brain became uncharacteristically hostile.

"Meadow-san." Shinji said abruptly, causing the Imperial to dart his eyes upward.

"Yes, Shinji?" He said, vaguely interested, having been preoccupied with remembering how his designated opponent moved.

"Just a heads up, Unit 00 isn't designed for close quarters. You'll need to protect her." Harshness found its way into Shinji's words, which caused Samuel to blink in surprise.

"...that was my intention to begin with. But received and understood." The Imperial nodded.

"Good..." Shinji relaxed a little, closing his eyes as he felt the jolt of the Eva being locked in place.

"Third?" Asuka's voice caused him to re-open those cerulean orbs.

"Hmm, yes, Soryu-san?"

"Are you ready for this?" She said with a cocky smile.

"Probably not." He chuckled.

There was a pause.

"Well at least you don't overestimate yourself..."

 _And you don't?_ Shinji thought to himself.

"Still, it's not like your awful at this. One can't help being overshadowed by greatness after all." Asuka said boastfully, causing him to press his lips into a small smile.

"Nothing scares you, does it?" He said quietly.

"Not in the slightest."

* * *

 _The surface_

There had been no resistance upon their approach. Even the _Voor_ mighty sky fortresses were nowhere to be seen, much less their insignificant yet valiant ground units. Silence hung over the city, disturbed only by the monstrous footsteps of the Twin Heirs. But it was not silence that put them on edge, it was the sheer lack of any metal monsters opposing them. That...could mean only one thing.

 _ **Where do you think their ambush is?**_ Isrefael moved forward cautiously, delivering the occasional blast at any building large enough to conceal an Evangelion.

 _ **Somewhere we can't get out the way. As it always is with damned ambushes...lilly livered cowards should face death with dignity.**_ Israfel growled, his strange hammer being gripped tightly by his bizarre hands. They'd assumed their preferred forms at sunrise, altered versions of "twin fangs," Sachiel's form of choice.

By the gods, the _Vooren_ would pay for that and so much more.

They continued to move towards the centre of the city, where they could feel that inhuman, constraining power beneath their feet. Their surroundings were surprisingly impressive, especially when considering the pitiful beings that had built all this.

 _ **Any advice, Fist?**_ The elder brother pushed out across the gaps between worlds.

 _ **Not much. Just be warned, nothing is more dangerous than a cornered animal, and the Vooren are no exception.**_ Haniel offered, frustrated with the sheer lack of information available to him.

The brothers accepted this, with Isrefael being unnerved by the voice of the Sovereign's fist in his mind. That man was far weaker than even he himself, and still he frightened him.

Then, a sudden feeling of energy rushed towards them.

If the Seraphim could have smiled, they would have.

 _ **It is as you say, Fist. They come from beneath the surface. Right into our arms...**_

They moved swiftly to the source of the feeling, weapons gripped tightly and ready to be used to full lethal effect. But once they arrived at the spot, having rounded a skyscraper, they stopped dead in their tracks.

What stood there was an Evangelion, except...lifeless. It possessed a rusted gold colour scheme, with a single dead Cyclops eye gazing blankly at the world. It had not been with the squadron they'd engaged a week before.

 _ **What...is this?**_ They steadily approached, pushing their walls of light outwards, expecting to meet resistance, finding nothing.

 _ **I think it's dead.**_ Isrefael murmured to himself, as he prodded the failed prototype with his spear of orange lightening, gaining no reaction.

 _ **Indeed.**_ Israfel agreed, giving a silent command at the same time.

Raising an arm each at the Eva, a surge of white hot energy arched forwards, utterly obliterating the biomech in a heartbeat, leaving nothing but ashes.

 _ **This should be a route down into their fortress. What are they doing-**_ The elder began, before being interrupted by an earth shattering noise. The sound of an explosion rippled across the quiet city, a sound that had gone off directly next to the Seraphim. Around the base of the skyscraper they stood directly next to, charges had been planted and detonated. And now the building began to lean over.

 _ **A lure!? They used a damn lure!?**_ The younger roared.

The skyscraper, so vast and impressive, slowly and inevitably began collapsing on the two Divine warriors, whose A.T-fields flared protectively as debris descended upon them.

 _ **Is this truly their best attempt at killing us? How disappointing.**_ Israfel chastised.

But that was not its purpose. And the Seraphim were fatally mistaken.

* * *

 _NERV Central, Command bridge_

" **Now, go go go!** " Misato barked. The four Evangelions shot upwards, their path taking them to within a kilometre of the enemy.

This was going better than they could ever have hoped. The theory the enemy could sense the energy of the Evas had been utilised to brutal effect, luring the Seraphim into her trap. One from which the freaks would not escape with their lives.

Misato's mouth curled into a smile. The world was now a step closer to being totally saved, and she was closer to total revenge.

 _Hope you're enjoying the show...mother...father..._

Around her, the usual command staff stood. Ritsuko to her right, Maya, Makoto, and Shigeru working furiously away on their touchscreens, those below them even more so, and above resided the dispassionate Supreme Commander and his Vice Commander.

"Is it not strange to you? Our enemy's caution?" Kozo said quietly.

"The children of Adam are intelligent. We have always known this." Gendo responded.

"To be frank, they seem a little more intelligent than the scrolls predicted."

"The scrolls are vague. There is truth to them, but one must dig deeply."

"Hmm...you've spent too much time around Laberenz." The old professor commented, a slight twinge of anger in his soul.

 _None of this would have needed to happen were it not for SEELE and their damned prophecy._

"Perhaps." Gendo agreed, in his own stoic way. For as much as he respected the man, he couldn't help but have happy dreams about shoving the barrel of his gun into that... **abomination** of nature. But for now, he'd have to play the Grand Master's game, whilst quietly moving his own pieces into position. A position where it would be his scenario that would determine the fate of mankind, and a position where he could wreak his own terrible revenge on the two individuals who stole everything from him.

 _By the Spirits, I will rip down the heavens to be with you again, Yui. Earth and every single living being on it for you._

* * *

 _NERV Rapid deployment elevators_

Shinji fought to control his breathing as sunlight filled his vision, his body shuddering slightly. His grip tightened around the control sticks as he prepared to rush forward, to engage the enemy.

 _Divide and conquer, like Misato-san said._

From the quick glances he took at his fellow pilots on their respective vid links, he could tell they were having no such problems, at least not what he could see. Rei was stoic as ever, Asuka seemed utterly focused on the task at hand, perhaps even anticipating it, and Samuel had his eyebrows narrowed.

Of course from the perspective of the vid link, Shinji could not see the Imperial's right hand tremble...

And then he was on the surface, back in Tokyo-3, a sudden jolt announcing his arrival. The safety locks released, and he was free to move. Scarcely a thousand metres in front of the children, were the two confused Seraphim, still dealing with the collapsing skyscraper.

Misato gave the order to engage, but it wasn't needed.

Eva squad charged, diverting into two groups instantly, Units 01 and 02 barrelled towards the larger of their foes, who barely had time to turn around, let alone see them through all the dust and debris, before a black armoured fist smashed into his bony helm. Israfel staggered backwards, as Isrefael moved to cover him, only to have his strike be blocked by Unit 03's prog blade.

"Let's tango, you twat." Samuel growled, lunging at the Seraph's core. Of course, Isrefael could see that coming from a mile away, as evidenced by his instinctive darting back, dancing out of the blade's way, yet unable to get past it to even land a hit.

 _ **Are these your sword play skills, Voor? Why you did not demonstrate this in our previous battle, I have no idea.**_

However, so pre-occupied with Samuel's movements, he didn't notice Unit 00 flanking him whilst he was driven further and further from his brother. Not that Israfel noticed either, as he was too busy trying to fight off two of the bio-mech monstrosities that had given him such trouble a week ago.

They were not...perfect, at working as a unit. But they were hardly incompetent, leaving openings of opportunity scarcely a second long. Most of the time, they attacked as one, and withdrew as one. The hammer would slam down into the ground, shaking the very earth upon impact, and the Evas would dodge. The purple one would throw a punch or thrust out with its wicked blade, whilst the black one would dance around whilst slicing with its twin daggers. Purple was easier to handle, as despite the great power he put into his attacks, they were predictable and blocked with not too much difficulty. Black however took every single opportunity to strike like a viper.

Royal blue blood was already flowing from the multitude of new nicks and cuts he had sustained.

 _ **That is your tactic? I must focus on defending against your compatriot whilst you whittle me down?...impressive.**_

Meanwhile, as the gap grew between the brothers, Isrefael was managing to keep on equal ground with his foe. As master of the spear, he was without par. His thrusts where quick, powerful, and easily recoverable. But that was the problem.

A spear was only good for thrusting, and not much else. With the sword, even as "bizarrely" thin a design as the one wielded by the Imperial pilot, your options were far more diverse. Stabbing, thrusting, cutting, slashing, hacking, almost anything. It had gotten to a stage where the use of his field had become a necessity to block Samuel's ferocity. It was a sword form no Divine had ever encountered before, no great, powerful strikes with which you could bisect a man, indeed this style seemed more concerned with striking blows in general than lethality in the first strike.

Unit 03 hacked downwards, seeking to split the Seraph's head in two. Isrefael blocked with his spear and threw the strike off, but Samuel recovered quickly and lunged forward, a solid wall of orange lightening being the only thing that stopped him from getting a killing blow. Isrefael, sensing opportunity, thrust at the metal encased head. Samuel twisted, with spear of pure lighting sliding harmlessly past, although he still felt his cheek become a bit warm.

He slashed upwards, his blade catching on the spear which prevented him from taking the Seraph's arm off, but nevertheless he managed to gash it quite nicely.

The Divine Heir roared as he unleashed a fuelled by pain and rage blast of energy upon that which invited his wrath. Unit 03's A-T field flared as it only just managed to hold, but he was still driven back. However, so focused upon the blood flowing from his arm, and this shockingly worthy foe, Isrefael failed to notice what was creeping up behind him.

The pain in his arm was drowned out by the wall of white hot agony slamming into his back. Rei unleashed a stream of pallet rounds, shells that would rip apart an unshielded FCV with total ease. It was a testament to the sheer might of the Seraphim that this one was not turned into royal blue mist. Nevertheless, its alien screech of agony echoed across the silent city. His elder brother's attention was swiftly caught, the sudden realisation of what the _Vooren_ were attempting crashing through his mind.

 _ **No...No you don't!**_

Israfel attempted to barrel into Unit 03, murder in his heart. None were permitted to lay a finger on his baby brother, absolutely no one. From the cradle to the current battle, the elder and stronger Divine had always held true to this creed. And many hundreds had been smashed into bloody pulps due to his fanatical adherence of this.

At that moment, Unit 01 collided with the Seraph, causing it to stagger but not collapse.

"Soryu-san! We have to bring this thing down **now** , it knows what we're doing!" Shinji yelled, instinct and experience taking over his actions. He did not fight them, for he knew and understood how invaluable they were, and how such things were among the few reasons he still lived.

"Don't shout at me, Third!" Asuka snapped, as Israfel delivered a savage punch to Unit 01's head, actually denting some of its armour. The exposed Eva was slammed into the ground, and the Seraph raised his hammer to finish the job.

 _ **You will not stand between my and my family, Voor!**_

The redhead urged her "baby" into a flying leap onto the enemy's back, stabbing downwards with her prog knives. Having pushed out with her A-T field, forcing an opening through which she could strike, Asuka's blades sank deep into the back of the Seraph. Howling in pain, it began to violently shake and flail, unused to this sensation of helplessness. He attacked his opponents head on, smashed them into pieces. Never had Heir Israfel been taken from behind.

In his enraged state, it did not occur to him that it was not only down to the fighting prowess of himself and his brother that they'd never been defeated before, but how in times gone by, rank upon rank of warriors would have marched and with them. The Royal Aesylian Army was invincible, had that two million strong force been set loose upon the world, then human civilization would have been extinguished in a day.

Maybe even less, but absolutely no more.

Here however, the brothers were outnumbered two to one. Their enemy had divided their forces the first time around, most likely for reasons of creating a flexible defence line. But now, they were fully aware of their superiority in numbers, and were capitalizing on it as much as they could.

Asuka clung onto the handles of her prog blades for dear life, determined to bring this monster down. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Unit 01 slowly picking itself up off the floor, seemingly a bit dazed.

" _Gott Verdammut_ , Third! Don't just lie down on the job!" She yelled frustratedly through gritted teeth as she felt her grip begin to slip.

 _Scheisse, can't hold on much longer...oh you stupid thing, just die already!_

Her words caused Shinji to snap back into consciousness. His help was required.

In what could only be described as "good timing" beyond comprehension, he snatched up his own primitive prog knife, and threw himself at the flailing Seraph, thrusting forward in a precise stabbing motion. In what could only have been fate, so focused on throwing the black pest off his back, Israfel presented his unprotected front to Shinji's attack.

And the meek Japanese boy made the most of his opportunity.

The elder brother froze, as pain and cold slid into his core with a sickening feeling. The sound of the red sphere cracking open and royal blue blood flowing forth even more so. He staggered around for a few moments, before Asuka planted her armoured feet into the giant's back and pushed hard, wrenching her blades free. She landed perfectly some way behind the Seraph, with the monster in question being knocked flat onto his face.

His movements slowed to that of a snail's pace as the golden feeling of life began to trickle away. Slowly he lifted his head from the ground, those black eyes making contact with another pair exactly like his own.

Isrefael was injured but not out of the fight yet, and he appeared to be having a moment of breathing space. And it was here that he stared directly into his dying brother's eyes, utter horror etched into those bony features.

 _ **Brother...I'm so sorry.**_

* * *

Isrefael screamed. A horrible, inhuman, alien roar of anger mixed with unfathomable despair. He'd had no chance to spare his elder brother a thought, so badly harried by his opponents. Recovering from his initial shock of being shot in the back by Rei, he'd managed to readjust his field to cover it, but had no opportunity to turn around and counter attack.

Unit 03 kept jabbing, slashing, and cutting, not letting up for a single moment, keeping the monster from turning its attention upon Unit 00.

The child of the Empire was keeping his promise.

It was imperative the Seraphim got no breathing space or room to re-organize. Isrefael had to stay on his toes, completely focused on fending off the Imperial God Machine's furious assault with only his spear, as his field had to remain covering his rear.

But in a moment of clarity, he'd parried aside one of Samuel's strikes and gave a good thrust forward. Unit 03's A-T field held, but it could not help but be forced back. A breathing space of a precious few seconds established, the younger brother channelled all his might into his own field and with the gesture of a thrust out arm, he unleashed it upon Unit 00.

Rei's shield managed to hold, but as it was for Samuel, it could not diffuse the sheer force of the blast. And with the Seraph's full power set loose, she was tossed like a rag doll through the air. Had Isrefael done this mere moments before, the outcome of the battle may have been changed. But he was far too late.

 _ **No, no, no, no, no!**_ All regard for his own life and well being vanished. He had to reach his elder brother, his oldest and closest friend.

Throwing himself upon the stronger yet much slower Evangelions, Isrefael was a blur of rage, thrusting and dodging with an erratic and savage grace, driving them all away from his helpless brother.

"Meadow-san, Ayanami-chan, we're in trouble!" Shinji called out, backed up with a cry of "get you over here you Imperial dummkopf!" from his German team mate.

" _Hold up! Units, move into a surrounding formation, keep it where it is. We stop it escaping_ _ **and**_ _we can finish this at our leisure. Nicely done."_ Misato grinned a fearsome grin.

 _That must be six...soon to be seven we've brought down...it's not enough...it'll never be enough..._

They'd won. All that remained was the lone, weaker Seraph, surrounded by a far superior force that could soon rush in and crush it. The strategy had been a complete success, luring the enemy into position by putting up a useless Evangelion prototype, collapsing the skyscraper, dividing, then conquering, the alien menace.

Among the various bridge staff, no one really noticed Maya Ibuki look up from her work, watching the Seraph's movements with what seemed like befuddlement with a trace of empathy. It was so frantic, how the beast assaulted anything which came close, standing over the corpse of its "twin" almost...protectively.

All the training manuals, all the research, even the Supreme Commander himself had outright stated the Seraphim were animals, dumb brutes not really worth a second thought if they weren't trying to exterminate life on Earth. But just the way it looked, those wide black eyes, the inhuman screeches, gave Maya the impression her superiors might not be entirely correct.

 _It looks...distraught._

Even if they were...an animal can't help its nature. She didn't understand how anyone could overly enjoy watching the suffering of another living creature, especially as the Lieutenant Colonel did. She'd never seen her like that before...and the sheer focus of those brown eyes, and the grin that did not disappear, sent shivers running down the soft and sweet woman's spine.

* * *

He would have panted if he could, turning around in circles to make sure that none tried to take him from the side or the rear. But he needn't have bothered, he could feel the enemy move into position around him, moving to cut him off.

Moving to crush him.

 _ **Isrefael, withdraw now.**_ Haniel commanded harshly. His words stumped the Divine Heir.

 _ **Re...retreat?**_ Though it existed in the language of his people, that word was seldom ever used. To retreat, to flee from your enemy tail between legs, was the highest dishonour. Whilst it was still not impossible to reach Rihuv after such an act, it would become much harder. Besides...the mere thought of leaving Israfel lying in the dirt...

He cut the connection with the Fist, a feeling of acceptance in his heart. He was going to die here, today, now.

Collapsing on his knees, dropping his spear, he gently curled his arms around his elder brother and cradled him. A very weak gaze, exactly the same as his own, looked up at him.

 _ **Brother...go...do as he says...**_ Israfel's unnaturally quiet voice echoed throughout the younger sibling's head. But he did not heed them, it only strengthened his resolve, as the realisation of what he felt must be done slowly dawned on him.

 _ **No...I can't do that. I won't do that.**_

Isrefael angled his gaze upwards, as he held his brother's body tightly to him. He watched the Evangelions, who'd finished their encirclement, slowly and cautiously approach him, preparing to dart in and finish the job once the command was given.

But he would not make it so easy for them.

Looking down on his dying sibling, Isrefael would have smiled if he could in that form.

And cry as well.

 _ **Shall we leave this world they way we came into it? Together?**_

Israfel was momentarily confused, until he realised what his brother meant. And there was nothing he could do. No time to even scream "no."

The younger, weaker brother, placed his hand upon the elder's S2 core. He pushed at something of an invisible barrier, breaking through it and feeling a great suction of sorts upon his soul. He did not resist, but embraced it.

And then he felt no more.

* * *

Isrefael's body went limp as life completely left it. The husk crumpled onto the floor and remained there, unmoving. Israfel felt his damaged core seal its crack seamlessly. Strength flooded every part of his body, as he began to gently shake the corpse of his nearest and dearest.

 _ **It can't be...you can't...**_ And then there was a faint feeling of familiarity within him, a dying warmth that embraced his very soul.

 _ **I love you, big brother.**_

And then Israfel could feel no trace of Isrefael.

The terrifying, earth shattering, alien scream of the Seraph was louder than anything Shinji had ever heard before, or would again. It eclipsed even the roars of Sachiel, as people across the nation snapped their heads up as this terrible noise reverberated throughout Japan. So strong was it, that his connection to the Fist was shredded.

Immediately, a typhoon of orange energy was unleashed, ripping away every single building it made contact with. Unfathomable winds slammed into the A-T fields of the Evangelions, not enough to break or neutralise, but more than enough to push.

Shinji crossed his arms in front of his face as he was driven back, digging his feet into the earth so as to further his resistance. Asuka did something similar, except it was more of a "charge" than a "bracing." Samuel was caught completely off guard and in his lighter Unit was thrown around like a rag doll, whilst Rei did not resist, but used the force of it to gracefully backflip to safe distance.

The lone Seraph's eyes had turned red, as with its spare hand it picked up its compatriot's spear, its very body trembling with incomprehensible rage. He levelled his gaze upon the foes he couldn't hope to defeat.

But by Hoer himself, this victory would cost them **dearly**.

 _ **You will all suffer for this!**_

Israfel charged.

* * *

"All Units engage, now!" The purplehead commanded.

Once again, the Seraphim had surprised them. Misato quietly cursed her overconfidence. They shouldn't have given the weaker one any time to do anything. They should have just swarmed it and killed it immediately...

 _Damn. That's what I get for being cocky._ She grit her teeth, then accepted the change of the situation.

 _I'm an Impact Survivor, I make do._

Not that they'd lost or anything, victory had just become a little harder. There was still only one of them, against four fully operational Evangelions. The Seraphim were still going to be defeated this day, but she hoped it would come at no cost to her kids.

 _...my kids?_

"Lieutenant Ibuki, what the hell just happened?" Ritsuko brought herself over to her apprentice, the young woman in question leaning back from her screen confused.

"I...I don't know...there were two blue signatures but now there's only one."

"So it fused again?"

"No it...it...it's not the same. It's like the energy of one blue signature is fuelling the other, but the field is gone...I can't describe it." Maya tried in vain to make sense of the data on her screen, but to absolutely no avail. One thought however, played on her mind.

 _Did the small one..._ _ **sacrifice**_ _itself for the other? That can't be right..._

* * *

Rihuv, the halls of the gods, was what all Divine aspired to enter. A place where one could feast, drink, fight and fuck for all eternity. Where you could reunite with loved ones long lost and sit with them at Hoer's table. The king of the gods was renowned in their legends as a most generous and hospitable host, this being further strengthened by Lord Netzach saying such things...

Only the brave, the true and loyal went to dine for all eternity. It comforted Israfel to know, without doubt, that his little brother had gone straight there. And, as he knew in his heart, he would soon be there too.

With strength he'd never before possessed, the Divine Heir launched himself at the purple monstrosity in particular, wielding his great bony hammer one handed, his other holding his fallen dear one's spear. He brought the hammer down upon where Unit 01 had been standing, but Shinji had already leapt back, out of surprise and instinct. And through his own instinct, Israfel quickly raised the spear to block Samuel's slash. Whirling around, he brought the hammer to bare on the Imperial god machine. Clearly, the British boy had learned from his previous encounter, bending over backwards. His sudden shift of balance however caused him to collapse on the floor, quickly rolling out of the Seraph's next strike. In a heart beat, Rei levelled her rifle and squeezed the trigger, covering the Imperial's rapid retreat. Israfel's field flared as positron coated slugs slammed into it with no effect. But it was enough to make him concentrate on that, and not on finishing off the blue Evangelion.

Of course, he had other things to deal with. Such as the other two Evas swiftly charging him.

Asuka took the lead, knives held in reverse position. She pushed her field against her enemy, feeling the _dummkopf's_ doing the same. They temporarily cancelled each other out, and she took a great leap, intending to stab the Seraph's eyes out, and be far too quick for the much bulkier opponent.

Unfortunately, Israfel was an experienced veteran of countless battles, who'd fought and slain **thousands**. He didn't even raise his hammer, he simply turned around and thrust his brother's spear out, impaling Unit 02.

Asuka lurched forward, grunting in pain as she felt hot electricity punch through her liver. Fortunately, the foe's strike was nowhere near the core, but it as enough to hurt really badly.

 _Nein...not again..._

As it was before, she was thrown aside as if she were nothing. She collided with Shinji, knocking them both to the ground. The Seraph moved, desperate to capitalize on his opportunity, a spark of hope flickering in his heart. Isrefael might yet be avenged, and _Ejrod_ may yet be returned to the Divine race this day.

Children would be born on the old realm's soil once again. His little brother's sacrifice would not have been in vain.

He swung the hammer down, channelling his full might into it. He took attention away from his back, ignoring the sickly wet thuds of pallet rifle fire slamming into his exposed rear as a few rounds got through his field. The strike would be enough to crack them open like eggs.

But then, in a flash, Shinji was there. Unceremoniously throwing Asuka aside, to both get her off him and to safety, he jumped to his feet.

"A-T field, max power!" He barked, reaching his hands up to block the strike with a flicker of orange lightening. The Seraph and the Eva were about evenly matched, but Israfel had infinite strength. Shinji did not. With some alarm he watched his hud flicker and flash with static as he burned through a ridiculous amount of energy. The hammer slowly descended ever more, as Israfel leisurely brought the spear to bare.

 _ **This day you meet your end...Lijle Sfek.**_

Meanwhile, behind the enraptured Divine, Samuel saw his opportunity. Thundering forward, eager for the kill, for glory, to uphold the honour of his Empire and his Emperor, he prepared his blade to make a stabbing motion. But then, a part of his brain quickly chastised him.

 _Father never won battles by running into them. Somehow, he always knew what the enemy was going to do before they even did it..._

He did not have that talent, but he could hazard a guess. His mind pictured him charging the Seraph's back, only for the monster to easily sense him, turn around, and smash him in the face with that infernal hammer.

So Samuel changed the angle of his attack, twisting his blade into a slashing motion. The distance closed, and indeed, the Seraph began to turn, using its spear to force Shinji back, and its field to block Rei's fire. But it swung low, lower than the Imperial could have anticipated. It would still catch him.

But then a thought entered his head, of a lesson from his father long ago.

" _You can't just give up and raise the white flag when something goes wrong, or not how you predicted, Samuel. The first rule of war is very much the same as the rule of life...adapt to survive."_

The aristocrat let himself fall to his knees, letting his momentum carry him beneath the Seraph's strike, keeping his blade in its previous angle, except twisting it upwards slightly, then, slicing across.

Israfel could not stop it. There was no way to block, or move out the way. And thus the Imperial progressive blade cut across his chest...and his core.

For the second and final time, the red jewel shattered as a tidal wave of blue blood erupted forth. Having felt this sudden feeling of cold and weakness before, the Divine Heir was capable of standing for a few moments, before the spear fell from his hand, and his legs gave out underneath him.

There was no brutal execution as he'd seen in so many battles. The white one kept its projectile weapon on him, whilst the rest cautiously kept their distance. He ignored them, angling his gaze upon a certain corpse, disappointment eating at his heart.

He'd failed to kill even a single one of them.

Slowly, he dragged himself towards his brother, feeling the gazes of the _Voor_ follow him. Eventually reaching his destination with mere moments to live, Israfel looked down on his lifeless brother so sadly, before wrapping an arm around him, and resting his head against his. They were always together, from the moment they were born. These few minutes of separation...had been among the most painful of his life...no more...

 _ **Isrefael...I'm on my way.**_

And with that the 8th Seraph died.

* * *

He stood there, blinking slightly as he tried to wrap his mind around what he saw, and this feeling ripping at his heart.

 _They are the enemy, they have to die...there's no other way..._ Shinji tried to tell himself. But he just couldn't look away.

The two Seraphim lay in the dirt together, their strange arms wrapped tightly around each other, frozen in their deathly embrace. Their faces of bone, usually so blank and lifeless, now seemed filled with emotion. The small one looked like it was at peace, whilst the larger one, who but moments before had been making an inhuman whimpering sound, seemed totally absorbed by grief. It was on them that Shinji focused, whilst almost all others celebrated, and the westerners boasted of their prowess.

"Ikari-kun. What is the matter?" Said a soft voice that he trusted unreservedly, a hint of concern in its owner's red eyes.

"It's nothing, Ayanami-chan." He turned away from the corpses, tearing his gaze off the dead brothers. "Nothing at all."


	40. 10:1 Relax

_"Even in this age of war, of foreign tyranny and aggression, of hardship and poverty, this Republic cannot collapse into authoritarianism simply to survive. Liberty, equality, and fraternity, are not simply words. They are the bed rock upon which our nation stands. And they, the birthright of our citizens, shall be defended to the death. Vive la Republique, Vive la France!"_

 ** _Minister Fabrice Larue announces the National Assembly's rejection of the "emergency powers act." 1st of August, 2005._**

* * *

 _Sunday the 30th of July, 11am, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, NERV quarters_

How people could ever get tired of showers was a mystery to her. The torrent of hot water continued to flow over the redhead, as she angled her face into the incoming stream. Her mane took a great amount of work to maintain, with its sheer length and silky smoothness. Which of course, made it an absolute bastard to wash.

 _Oh well, it's not like I'd even need an excuse to stay in the shower for a bit longer._ Asuka mused humorously to herself. At times she'd stayed under the hot, steamy water for more than an hour.

Water was just...serene to her. Not quite like sitting within Unit 02, but its warmth was most welcoming nonetheless, like a blanket one could wrap themselves in. Besides, it was always in the shower where the German girl preferred to think, as there was no chance she would be interrupted.

Well, aside from that fire alarm back in NERV Leopard...

 _Gott that was embarrassing. I don't think Sam stopped blushing for a week._

In particular, she dwelt upon her first three engagements. That caused her to frown slightly as she rubbed the shampoo into her long red strands of hair.

 _I haven't killed a single one of them yet. And at the rate we're going...will I ever get the chance?_

They'd beaten the Seraphim, but it had never been by her hand. In her first encounter, the dummkopf had been along for the ride and... _helped._ The second time she was actually overpowered by the enemy, having to be saved by...and the third time, she'd actually hurt them really badly but even then she still would have been crushed were it not for...

The frown became a scowl.

 _Stupid Shinji, I don't need his help! I don't need_ _ **anyone's**_ _help!_

Pushing all thoughts of an irritating meek young man from her mind, Asuka found something else to be grumpy about.

There was a class trip going off to Okinawa, enjoy the sun, sea, sand, and take a look round one of the major naval bases in the Pacific. If war broke out between Japan and China today, then Okinawa would be the front line. But now, in this age of relative peace, it had become something of a tourist destination.

And so she'd gone off shopping with Ryoji for some nice new swim wear and such. It had been a good time out, talking over drinks about how they were settling into this strange place. It seemed her old crush felt about as unsure as she, despite him being a native.

On the other hand, that sort of thing happens when one is away for ten years...

But throughout the whole thing, a little part of her brain had been nagging away with " _Keep dreaming, lady. We're basically on active duty constantly now, and the Seraphim could hit at any time. No way is NERV going to let us off for a few days."_

And when she'd got back to the apartment, the nagging was proven correct. Oh of course she pouted for a little bit, but it certainly couldn't be described as "throwing one's dolls out the pram." Samuel didn't really seemed fussed, although he would probably have liked visiting a big naval base, and the thought hadn't even concerned Shinji.

" _I'm not really a holiday person...I don't like moving around."_ He'd said.

 _Gott he's such a doormat._

Although to say Asuka disliked him wasn't correct. Annoying, yes, but he wasn't a nasty person and for a neophyte he was capable in his Eva. Although, in her opinion, he wasn't a patch on her in any way whatsoever.

She didn't know what the clone's thoughts were on the matter of the school trip, as she hadn't asked. And probably never would.

 _I actually get a better conversation out of the dummkopf than that doll._

Eventually, after about half an hour, she felt satisfied with her hair and turned the water off, stepping out of the shower and rubbing herself down with her personal towels.

Red towels.

Once that was done, she tenderly attached her A-10 hair pins to fold her mane into exactly the way she wanted it. Nearly unrestrained, but not completely covering her face. Even her impressive bangs did not go past her forehead.

Asuka probably paid about as much attention to her hair as she did to her beloved Unit 02. For they were her pride and joy.

Cleansed and dressed, she exited the bathroom, rolling her eyes as Samuel had to quickly rush in, having been waiting outside for about ten minutes, and made her way to the living room.

Watching television was what she did mostly these days, well, at least socially. Of course, the best parts of her day, whenever they happened, were combat simulations and synch tests. One of the only places in the world where she could genuinely prove just how excellent a Pilot she was. An elite, unsurpassed by anyone else.

"Hello, Soryu-san." Said a nervous voice she knew reasonably well now.

"Mm...what are you doing?" Asuka stared at Shinji. He stood in front of an ironing board, said iron held in hand. What must have been a vast pile, for them all by the looks of it, was now split in two. That which had been ironed, and that which had not.

"...doing the ironing." He said, a little gone out, as if perplexed.

"I can see that, why?"

"Because it needs doing."

"But you're a boy."

"So?"

Asuka huffed, as if this should be obvious to him.

" _So_ , shouldn't you be off doing...boy...things? Like, I don't know, hanging out with the other stooges, playing video games, or reading swimsuit magazines?"

Shinji's expression remained confused.

" _Mein gott_...did you housebreak him, Misato, or was he already like this when he arrived?" She asked the purplehead, who currently resided upon one of the bean bags.

"Yup. It was quite a surprise to me too..." The elder trailed off, still reminiscing about the first time she came home from work to find the place spotless and Shinji merrily ironing away with his earphones in. Her experience with adolescent and young adult males was they stank to high heaven and left mess wherever they went. Her primary charge appeared to be the polar opposite of that.

"Wow, how strict was your mother?" The redhead offered humorously, oblivious to Shinji's near physical wince at the mere mention of the dear one he lost so very long ago.

"Not that much at all..." He said quietly, wistfully, and sadly. It was just loud enough for Asuka to hear, and even she could tell, impetuous as she was, this was not a subject to be taken lightly.

"Hmm." She acknowledged before plopping down on the sofa.

"Oh, Takeshi's castle...haven't watched this in years." The redhead smiled slightly as she leaned back, fondly remembering this bizarre little show where people were thrown in mud and water, shot at with cannon balls, and just generally hit with various things.

 _Japanese game shows are crazy...but Mama was half Japanese, so I guess that's why I think they're funny._

"I didn't think people watched it outside the home islands." Misato said, a little surprised.

"Well, no League nation can censor stuff, so we receive Japanese channels. A few people like it, so they contracted out the studio that made it and now it's on every Wednesday at 11. The Empire has it, but they've got their own stuff...like that total wipe out thing with that short guy..."

" _Short_ does not quite describe Baron Richard Hammond." Samuel said with a chuckle as he entered the room, having finished "evacuating" himself. Today, as his uniform was dirty, he'd put on a white shirt with sleeves, and some beige chinos. Precisely the wrong sort of clothing for this time of year and place, but he did not care.

 _I can never understand how anyone could wear a T-shirt._

He peered at the screen for a few moments.

"Oh it's **this thing**. You barbarians have very strange tastes in entertainment." He shook his head.

"Because getting people to jump across four giant red balls isn't strange..." Asuka commented sardonically.

"We don't have screaming sumo wrestlers push people into muck, Asuka."

"But you do have a car show that's not really about cars."

"Oh come off it, Top Gear is great!"

"Right..." The redhead rolled her eyes. She honestly couldn't find much entertainment in an overweight middle aged man hurtling down a race track and screaming _power_ at the top of his lungs.

"Um...Meadow-san? I've got all the creases out of your uniform, took me while especially with those things." Shinji pointed at the golden epaulettes on the blue tunic's shoulder pieces.

"Epaulettes, Shinji, epaulettes! If you actually want to take care of my uniform you should everything there is to know about it." Samuel huffed before walking over to the "ironed" pile, and picking it up. Shinji remained quiet.

"Quite right, not a single crease...well done." The Imperial said admiringly, knowing that only some of his best servants were capable of this quality.

The younger Japanese boy, blinked in surprise for a few moments, before beaming.

"Thank you, Meadow-san."

"You're...welcome..." Samuel raised an eyebrow before sitting next to Asuka, a little perplexed by just how well the "barbarian" had received the slightest bit of praise.

"Such a doormat..." Asuka shook her head before remembering something.

"Are you doing my ironing as well?"

"Yes." Shinji nodded eagerly.

"Without my permission?"

"Oh...um...sorry...just trying to be helpful." His expression fell slightly.

"Ugh, don't start crying, Third. I suppose you are being helpful." Asuka said dismissively. The silence continued for a little while longer, as Shinji shifted uncomfortably.

"Did I tell you to stop?" She fixed her sapphire gaze on him.

As if an electric jolt had gone through his body, the boy soon returned to his work with utter professionalism.

 _Gott, is he a housebroken man, or housewife? Eh, he's kind of nice though. Hell of a lot nicer than a fair few boys of his age I know._

Misato continued to watch television, vaguely listening in on her charges.

 _Shinji-kun, we need to have a talk about "standing up for yourself."_ A loud skwarking caught her attention.

"Having trouble?" She directed at the penguin holding a can of beer. The flightless bird looked at the can's pin, then back at Misato, giving a quiet wark.

"Don't worry. We both get it wrong occasionally." She chuckled a little, picking the can up and trying to open it. She soon realised her long time partner's predicament, as the pin was proving exceptionally bothersome today.

Grumbling a little, Misato decided to "call for reinforcements."

"Shinji-kun! You're a big strong man, so could you get this open for me please?" She smiled her most winning smile at him.

He chuckled slightly.

" _Pleases_ now? Huh, I must be rubbing off on you..." He came out from behind the board, and grasped hold of the can.

"How did you get her to do that?" Samuel said incredulously.

"Effort. Lots of effort." Shinji answered, grimly remembering just how much trouble the party girl had given him. With a swift tug, the can was opened, and he handed it back to Misato before walking back to his work.

"Thank you." She said sweetly.

The Imperial looked back and forth in shock.

"Teach me! I've been trying to get this one to understand manners for six bloody years!" He gestured at Asuka, who smiled smugly.

"And you never will, Sam...you never will." She patted him on the head.

This produced quiet laughter from all. Despite it coming at his expense, not something he was usually not good at dealing with, Samuel felt warmth in his heart. Since he'd first departed the homeland, he felt truly relaxed.

 _I suppose it's not so bad here._

* * *

 _2pm, NERV Central, cages_

"The bad news is, Unit 02's wound is going to take a while to mend. Good news is, it's nothing too serious." Maya relayed to her superior, who seemed more stressed by the day.

"Thank you, Ibuki-san. Heh, it's all go, isn't it?" Ritsuko produced a tired smile.

"Yes, Sub Commander. I just hope it will end before I'm thirty." Maya agreed.

"It'll be forty if you're lucky. Can I get you a coffee?"

"Um...yes please."

The faux blonde placed a polystyrene cup under the machine's nozzle.

"Milk?"

"Strong, please."

"Alright..."

Pushing some buttons, a black liquid poured out of the nozzle and into the cup. She handed the cup back to Maya, who pulled out a seat and sat down.

Within this room and from behind its windows, they could see the four Evangelions lined up. This was where they were kept at all times, except combat or simulations. Right now the "over watch" was empty save for these two. They'd stay here after everyone else had left simply for the opportunity to talk. It had not been so long ago, scarcely two years, when the two had barely spoken to one another, but then came Ritsuko's epiphany.

When she finally realised the Commander was using and abusing her.

She'd pulled through, although the initial soul crushing despair had basically ruined her life for a few months straight. It had only been through talking to others she'd not decided to shake off this mortal coil, and then the meek Lieutenant, who scarcely knew her, asked "what was the matter?"

So they'd started talking, in specific about abusive relationships, something which Maya herself had apparently escaped from some eight years before. Hers was a bit more physical when compared to the faux blondes, but every bit as unpleasant. Since then, the two had become close friends, in as far as apprentice and master could be.

Having taken a sip of her coffee, the brown haired woman sighed.

"NERV gets more money than some pre-Impact countries ever did...and still it doesn't have any decent coffee machines?" She shook her head.

"Heh, you really think the Supreme Commander considers the comforts of his staff a priority? He'd spend billions on a foot massager for Unit 01, but not a yen on a new coffee machine. Unfortunately, the man doesn't have much interest in material things." Ritsuko said, making humour over her old predicament.

It had taken so long to fit it into her **thick** skull. The fact he would always whisper "Yui" whenever he...filled her. But for all those years she'd still deluded herself into thinking he needed her, and not the other way around. Terrible thing after terrible thing was done for him, and eventually it reached a point where she couldn't do it any more. There had been that night, where he'd called her to his office for some "confidential discussion." Where she'd officially called it off between them, and to her surprise he'd graciously accepted and wished her well. It was curious to note however, when she'd pressed about the "confidential discussion" he'd dismissed it and said it was no longer of her concern.

 _I've always wondered what he was going to say...probably for the best I never found out._

"The pay isn't all that bad I suppose. When the war's over, I'll be set up for life..." Maya trailed off, honestly looking forward to being out of this job. As someone talented with technology, the first few weeks had been a dream.

But then things became creepy.

The Evas bleeding and roaring, the Commander's mere presence, and the use of children in this awful war. When the last Seraph fell, she'd leave as quickly as she could. Probably to work as a professor's assistant in a University or something like that.

"If the war's ever over." Ritsuko said darkly, despite knowing how many remaining monstrosities there were to face. Still, the Seraphim could show up irregularly and it could take years, maybe even decades or another generation to stop them altogether.

"Don't be so glum, we aren't doing too bad, are we?" Maya chided, smiling slightly. As a working relationship, she was an entirely necessary counterpart to Ritsuko's cynicism. And the faux blonde's pessimistic nature was enough to bring reality to the young prodigy.

"I suppose not." The elder woman acknowledged before taking another mouthful of coffee.

" _I suppose not_? We've beaten six of them so far, that's got to hurt."

"You act like they are intelligent and have morale to be affected."

Maya's expression darkened slightly, her mind picturing the bony faces contorted in grief. Ritsuko immediately caught on to this and leaned back.

"It's about the last battle, isn't it?"

Her apprentice nodded.

"Alright, out with it."

Maya gulped slightly as she gathered her thoughts.

"This might sound stupid but...I think they're a bit more than mindless brutes. That wasn't just wild animals attacking, that was grief, that was hate, that was rage..."

"Sympathy for the enemy? Don't go saying those things to Misato-chan." Ritsuko laughed slightly as Maya tripped over her words.

"Oh, I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Relax, I'm just joking. You were saying about them being intelligent?" The faux blonde said gently, sipping some more coffee.

"Yes...I think they might be sentient in a way. I'm probably wrong, and I **shouldn't** feel anything for those things but...Spirits...those eyes..." The younger woman's tone became sad.

"Even if they aren't sentient...you can't hate an animal for its nature." Ritsuko agreed.

The Seraphim, for all their destructive power, were magnificent creatures. Truly unique and irreplaceable, strangely similar to human lives in that regard. And the emotion present in the last one they'd killed, could only have been grief.

Grief for a lost loved one.

As much as she debated it, as much as everything the Commander and the Megiddo scrolls had said, Ritsuko couldn't shake the feeling they were killing something akin to "people."

Not animals, "people."

"I wish we could understand them, could talk to them, reason with them and all that..." Maya said, as if to herself. Staring into her coffee, she continued.

"Then maybe this wouldn't be necessary."

Ritsuko, for all her cynicism born from years of abuse, couldn't help but agree.

* * *

 _Commander's office_

This place was always a realm of shadow. Of darkness.

All human beings had an essence to them, a "glow" almost. None save for herself, could bare witness to it. Unlike her ability to touch at the thoughts of others, this was optional, and Rei had only started tapping into said gift quite recently.

The results where interesting. Almost everywhere else she'd been was filled with the light of mankind. Some lights shined brighter than others, even the quietest flame provided some warmth. But not here, what stood before her were two dying embers.

One still had some fire left in it, whilst the other...it was as dark, cold, and lifeless as this room. Once it had perhaps been filled with warmth, the traces of it were certainly present, but that was long gone. The Commander's heart had been totally consumed, probably by the word, the name, that repeated again and again in his head, at the forefront of all else.

Yui.

 _My progenitor. I do not know what to feel for her...perhaps some sorrow for the mother Ikari-kun lost, but not much else. No child should have to bury a parent when so young...I wish I had one._

She masked how much that took her aback.

 _I exist to serve, I wish for nothing._

"Rei, your report?" Gendo said in that lifeless voice of his, sitting at his desk with nose rested on hands. Kozo stood to his left, hands held behind his back. Despite his age, he held himself in a disciplined manner, as to be expected of an ex-Public Security Intelligence Agency operative.

"The enemy displayed an as yet unseen tactical ability. The 8th Seraph did not fight in a manner that indicated a single mind was overseeing. It is not improbable that they acted as individuals." She relayed.

"I did not ask for your opinion, Rei. The scrolls have stated that the spawn of Adam, whilst mighty, lack the intelligence possessed by those who bear the fruit of knowledge. However, these developments are interesting...and considering that it seems our enemy grows stronger, we must be cautious."

" _Hai_ , Commander."

"Good. What of your physical condition?"

"I am at a hundred percent combat effectiveness. My injuries from the incident with Unit 00 have fully healed."

"And your synchronisation?"

"I have her under control, Commander."

Gendo processed this in the deathly silence, before nodding.

"You are performing admirably, Rei, considering the burden you must bear for us all. Do not deviate, do not reflect, do not question, and it will all be as I promised. Your children shall be at peace, and you will be allowed to die. The scenario shall serve us all."

"Yes, Commander."

Satisfied with this, Gendo started tapping his desk in thought.

 _It is all arranged. Nothing can stop the culmination of my plan. She, the flesh of my Yui, blessed by the soul of Mother Lilith, is my key to godhood, and she remains totally in my power as planned. SEELE do not know this, nor can they ever. If they were to discover her, they would unleash their Zunkft Legion in a heartbeat. But no...Kasch believes his plan without fault, the arrogance of immortality. He...will pay for that. But these new developments..._ his mind sorted through all the catalogued images he'd seen of the great enemy, fixating on a few in particular.

A monster raising his blade in salute, and another sacrificing itself for its twin.

 _They...do not quite match what the scrolls have said, maybe...no...no, something must have been misread. If only I were allowed access to them, of course those bungling fools at SEELE would make such mistakes._

The scrolls could not be wrong.

"Fuyutsuki-sensei, what of our studies of the enemy's remains?" He directed at the older man, who cleared his throat before responding.

"Whilst the Seraphim appear to be concocted from completely different building blocks of life, their genetic structure is nearly identical to our own." Kozo relayed.

"Both our species are at the end of our evolutionary development, it makes some sense that they bare similarity. Anything else?"

"Aside from proving our original hypothesis correct. The Seraphim have totally mastered the use of the A-T field, bending it to their very will. And this coupled with recent displays of some tactical ability...they could be far more dangerous than any of us imagined." The old man's expression darkened.

 _Such wrath...such power...and the strongest is not meant to have shown itself yet. Against that force of nature with our scarcely solid cohesive force of Evas...do we stand a chance?_

"We must remain vigilant then. No threat to the scenario can be tolerated...you may leave us. I have further business with the First Child." Gendo didn't even look as he gave the order. Kozo bowed his head then walked out the room, casting a quick glance through the closing doors.

 _You have a great deal of private business with her these days, Commander. I wonder...no, no that's ridiculous._

The doors closed.

They were alone.

Gendo observed the creature that stood before him with his usual quietness. If one where to age her by six years, change her hair colour to jet black, change her eyes to blue and darken her skin by just a little, then his Yui would be standing there. As if it were the day he'd just met her.

It was a very closely kept secret, Rei's true origins. To most aware of her existence she was a random clone, to those needed to know, she was the clone of Yui Ikari, and to his inner circle, she was the flesh and soul of Mother Lilith mixed with the DNA of his wife. The key to mankind's salvation. The tool with which he would wrest the woman he loved from death's hands.

And so, despite the sheer importance of her origins remaining a secret, the man pondered why he'd even let his disappointment of a son discover an inkling of the truth. The cowardly, snivelling little cretin who dared call himself Yui's child, the mistake that snatched her away to begin with, had no right to anything.

 _No...he had a right to know that. She was still his mother._

Slowly standing up from his desk, Gendo strode over to the clone of his lost wife upon his long legs. He towered over her, his very presence imposing to even the most strong willed of men. His gloved hand reached out gently and cupped her chin, forcing her to gaze into those blank orange glasses, behind which resided cold, uncaring blue.

 _The most useful of tools, is that which can be purposed for multiple tasks._

"I require you in my quarters for this evening. Understood?" His lifeless monotone echoed throughout the dead room.

Involuntarily, and for the first time in her life, Rei found her insides squirming. Never before had her body reacted in such a way, and she quickly had to mask her surprise at it, before immediately crushing such disloyal and ungrateful feelings.

 _It is not my place to disobey. He gave me life and purpose, to him I owe all. I am a tool, an unthinking tool, fashioned to create his masterpiece. For the good of the entire human race, to liberate them from the falsehood of happiness, I must obey._

"Understood, Commander."

* * *

 _2:10pm, Tokyo-3, Kobashi's den_

This place had been here since before the various towns of the region were united into Tokyo-3. In fact, drinks had been bought from its wooden counter since Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan, back when it was a Sake Den. So of course, due to him being a native of Kanagawa Prefecture, Ryoji Kaji had bought many a drink here.

 _You can't really get more Japanese than this place. Wooden, compact, bonzai plants..._ He glanced at some of the wi-fi ports and smiled.

 _Even then, got to move with the times._

Many of those around him were on various touch screen pads which could do all sorts of things. To think, when he was young the most powerful computers where large and blocky. Now, they were completely outdone by these paper thin marvels of science.

He took another sip from his small cup of sake, revelling in its sheer strength. Of course, it paled in comparison to the best bottle of his life. Warm sake purchased for a date night, which had led to something else entirely...

 _I wonder if she still drinks it?_

Driving away thoughts of happiness long lost, Ryoji checked his watch, frowning. His contact was a few minutes late, unusual to say the least. He sighed, people in his business knew worrying things didn't help. If you couldn't do anything, think of something else to do.

The den's door opened, and heavy footsteps approached from behind. Ryoji clicked his shoulders into place, business had arrived.

The large man slid onto the seat next to him, hostility and reluctance radiating from his being.

"You're late." The UNIS agent chastised humorously.

"That happens when you get tailed by fucking Section 2." The muscled man growled.

"Really? They dare go near one of Mr M's boys?"

"Oh...shit, Ryoji-kun. This isn't our turf any more, and you had to go all _respectable_."

"...since when were secret agents _respectable_ , Sazo-san?" Ryoji chuckled, his old friend joining him.

"I suppose not." Sazo Hachi said, his voice being a constant growl.

"What can I get you?"

"Oh, just a cold sake."

"Sure. Hey! One cold sake and a beer over here." The agent called out to the bartender, who bustled about for a while then brought the drinks over. Thanking and paying him, the two toasted then drank.

Finishing his quintessential Japanese drink, Sazo reached into his coat's pockets and pullet out a memory stick. Ryoji smiled.

"Thank you." He took the stick gently.

"It's not much. NERV are...weirdly good at concealing their funds. Their UN backers even more so..." Sazo trailed off.

"Mr M's network has limits now? I'm surprised."

And he honestly was. Japan's greatest crime boss was not a man known to be happy with little information. Ryoji could only come to one conclusion as to why. The man who was his and Sazo's father figure when they were street urchins, deemed gathering further information on the matter too dangerous. He was **afraid**.

And that sent a few tingles down the agent's spine.

"So...didn't know Section 2 had that much of an influence." Ryoji inquired further.

"Yeah. Ikari pretty much controls this city now...never been more thankful for the garrison, otherwise he might have made us all his own personal serfs by now. Ryoji-kun, even the Ministry of the Interior treads carefully around him. Whatever you're investigating, whatever you're poking that big nose of yours into, stop." Sazo tried to convince, but his old friend shook his head.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because Ikari holds the key to the truth. Of why our world went to hell..."

The two sat in silence for a while, the bigger man slumping in resignation. But then, his face lightened up a little bit.

"If my memory serves me correctly, isn't that woman who rode you like a horse for two days straight a member of NERV now?"

Ryoji's eyes widened as he tried to shrink out of existence.

"Ah, that's probably a reason why you want to stay around?" Sazo smiled at his blustering friend.

"Shut up...s-she...we...called it off ten years ago. Misato's got her own life now, I'm not intruding on that-"

"Right..." The larger man said, knowingly.


	41. 10:2 Grey and Red

_Tuesday the 1st of August, 10:00am, North American Federation, Revere, Octavian way_

San Francisco had been a great port city long before Second Impact and the rise of the Federation. But even then, comparing what it was to its current state, the old city would have been dwarfed.

The entire bay had been converted into perhaps the largest port ever seen, named "Nova Ostia" after the old port of Rome. Ships sailed in from various Federal territories and the other powers of the pacific, all under the constant vigilance of "Classis Scutum", a combined fleet of sea and sky ships that protected the beating heart of the North American Federation.

From this port, great highways stretched for two miles to the city itself.

Revere, named after one of the founding fathers of the old United States.

The city itself sprawled over the landscape, in all its utilitarian grandness. Huge apartment blocks, rows of houses, great shopping malls and skyscrapers were all laid out in an orderly and concise fashion. Their architecture clearly took many cues from old Rome, columns being everywhere, but had a level of thickness and advancement in comparison.

Grey Federal banners were everywhere, the black eagle being the most prominent symbol in the entire city.

All of this was centred around a single avenue that ran from one end of the city to the other, the Octavian way, flanked by monuments to victory and the greatness of their society, mighty triumphal arches present every five hundred metres. Connected to the road that came from Neo Ostia, it eventually lead to "Saratoga square" in which resided the Senate house, Federal Guard high command, the Washington Opera house, and the grand palace of the Princeps.

Neatly ordered in a manner which each building took up a side, a grand fountain at its centre, it could only have been the work of Construction Praetor Arthur Sachowski.

 _If the sub humans need any proof of why we should rule...they should just look at this..._

Tutela Manipulis Junior Storm Leader Tiffany Johnson leaned back in the leather seat of the luxury limousine sent to pick her up. The Princeps required her presence, and she would never disobey.

The car pulled up at the very steps of the palace, the door being opened for her by a TM trooper. He saluted the girl who was his superior officer, getting one back instantly. Briskly walking inside, Tiffany felt herself move with a spring in her step.

Today, she wasn't just having an audience with the Princeps. But she would also see her father again. Legate Gregory Johnson, commander of the 6th Legion and conqueror of _Provincia duo_.

The former nations of old central America.

Upon thinking of that land and the people who'd inhabited it, a stab of guilt cut into her heart. Her held behind her back fist clenched as it tried to fight off memories of a crying little girl. Tiffany scowled.

 _There was no other choice. Traitors and degenerates must be shown their place._

Whilst the interior of the palace was still grand, it was plain. There were a few paintings, but no carpets, just floors of marble. Princeps Abrams was not a man who enjoyed excess, and his private residence was the epitome of his philosophy and that of the nation he made.

Harsh, efficient, and powerful.

At every door she was saluted by a TM trooper, they being the only armed people in the building. Each and every single one of these men where hand picked by Praetor Hirst for their loyalty. They had to be, as their charge was among the most powerful people in the world.

The palace they guarded, was a centre of power in the Federation. In here was the Princeps Office, and the Party Chancellery. Where much of Virtus policy was discussed and decided upon, before being presented to the Senate. Considering every single senator was also a Party member, rare was the occasion Abrams be refused.

Eventually Tiffany arrived at the office, finding two "honour guards" standing there. The honour guard where the only members of the Tutela Manipulis that wore armour, making them appear to be much taller than her.

"Junior Storm Leader Johnson here to see the Princeps." She snapped to attention.

"Oh, sorry, Junior Storm Leader, you just missed him." A guard said back.

"Just missed...fine, where is he?"

"In the main dining room." A new voice caused the three TM to snap out their arms in salute and bark "Foedoratio sine fine!"

Their Praetor, Harrison Hirst, repeated both the verbal and physical salute, before continuing.

"You'll have to forgive his Excellency. Unfortunately, Junior Storm Leader Johnson, your father's had a long journey and he insisted on breakfast before his appointment. And as the Princeps doesn't like delays...well...Legate Johnson's appointment came to him..."

There was some chuckling at that, Tiffany struggling between embarrassment and mirth.

 _God damn it, Dad! Do you really have to do this now?_

"I presume his Excellency does not want to be disturbed?" She asked.

"No. I was actually sent up here to find you. As I said, Henry doesn't like people being late. Go on." Harrison nodded in the direction of the dining room.

"Thank you, sir." Tiffany saluted again then darted off, her Praetor watching her as she went.

 _Johnson...that is going to be one hell of an esteemed name in years to come. If her nerve holds..._

He'd heard of the mess his troopers found her in, after only putting down a sub-human. At first he was pleased to see the strength of her resolve in taking out one of the young ones, only to later discover it was an accident.

 _Still got my work cut out._

The dining room was a vast hallway, with a wooden table leading from one end to the other. Here the great and good of the Federation would gather and celebrate, or the Princeps himself would eat alone.

Today, the sandy haired man with a few grey strands, the architect of four million deaths, sat at his usual seat, with a man of much darker skin colour sitting a little further away from him. This dark skinned man, clad in the grey of the Federal Guard, tucked into a full plate of pancakes covered in maple syrup.

Both men looked up when she entered. Tiffany flashed a glance at her father, then saluted with a cry of "Ave Abrams!"

The salute was returned by both men, before Henry gestured at a seat near the middle of the table. Complying immediately, as she had been taught from youth, Tiffany pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Was your journey comfortable?" The Princeps said in an uncharacteristically subdued tone.

"Yes, my Princeps. Your private limousine does its job well." The black haired girl confirmed.

"Good. You must forgive your father here, he is stubborn at the best of times." Henry sighed in resignation. Gregory Johnson, Legate of the 6th Legion, swallowed some pancake and huffed.

"You try and fly all the way from the Russian border when you haven't eaten for a day straight. It isn't fun..." he trailed off, wolfing down some more of his breakfast.

"Wall Alesia has perfectly adequate cantines last time I checked."

"With all due respect, my Princeps, they can't even do waffles right."

"Legate." Tiffany chastised.

"What?" He shrugged, as if he'd done nothing wrong.

When one looked upon father and daughter, it was hard to see they were even related. Tiffany had got everything from her mother, her green eyes, her black hair, even her pale skin. She and her father did not look much alike, aside from that terrible scowl they could give.

"Moving on to the business at hand...your deployment orders have been finalized." He pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it down the table to her.

"Once final testing of Units 07 and 08 has been completed by NERV Nevada, you and Unit 04 will be deployed with them." Henry continued, the Junior Storm Leader nodding in acceptance.

"Understood, my Princeps."

"I don't understand why they're being so...obstructive in getting this done. Christ that organization is so inefficient..." Henry grumbled.

The Federation had always been semi-hostile to NERV, especially after their refusal to share their technology during the invasion of the fatherland. After the Imperials took Washington DC, they'd had to move. Abrams had been adamant though, as evidenced by his screaming down the phone at Gendo Ikari.

" _You keep that shit away from our cities, you sub-human slime."_

"One more thing before I let you both go..." Harshness slipped into his tone, his brown gaze fixing on Tiffany.

"We are allies of convenience with the other powers. Once that convenience stops, when the Seraphim are exterminated, they will turn on us. That is why we are deploying three Evas to Japan...for when the time is right."

The fifteen year old girl nodded, whilst her father had to fight back a wince.

 _God damn it. If we keep leaping at fucking shadows there'll never be peace..._ Gregory Johnson allowed a bit of sadness to filter into his eyes, to see his beautiful angel be ordered to kill fellow human beings.

On a hunch.

All whilst going toe to toe with eldritch abominations.

 _Fucking project E, will my family ever be free of it?_

"I will do what is necessary, my Princeps. As a member of your Tutela Manipulis, I will not allow any threats to the fatherland persist." Tiffany said with steel like resolve, her chair scraping back as she stood up. Her father did the same.

They stretched out their arms in salute and cried "Foederatio sine fine!" Abrams returned it, then gestured at the door for them to leave.

The two left the palace quickly, and walked out of Saratoga square in the direction of the "Franklin Shopping Forum." Once out of the square, they stopped and immediately wrapped their arms around each other.

"Missed you, Dad." Tiffany said softly.

"Missed you too, my little angel." His thick and powerful voice did not do Gregory's soft nature any justice.

They pulled apart after a minute, the bond father and daughter shared being immensely strong.

"How's Grandma and Grandpa...and David?" Tiffany smiled, thinking of her old and cantankerous grandparents, whom had marched with Martin Luther King long ago. And of the little brother she'd practically raised.

"Fine. Grouchy, but fine. They can't wait to see you, Tiff." Her father smiled back.

"I know, that's why we're going shopping. Didn't Grandma and Grandpa want a new microwave or something...ugh, and David probably wants another book on science fiction."

* * *

 _1:00pm, Union of Western Communist Republics, Socialist Russian Federation, Moscow, Litveko's_

Russian summers were as ferocious as its winters. This vast country had always been a place of extremes, in weather, in politics, and people. Not that this crossed the Warrant Officer's mind. The ice cold taste and sheer strength of Vodka touching his lips was one of the few things which put feeling into him.

This coupled with Vasily being Russian, meant he could drink more of it than the uninitiated ever could.

Despite being a communist nation, where the state supposedly owned all forms of businesses, there were dozens, hundreds of independent bars dotted around Moscow alone. As long as you had a state permit, paid 40% of your profits to the state, and abided by worker's rights laws, you could start a business and run it in whatever way you saw fit.

A shockingly capitalist policy of a nation supposedly devoted to its destruction.

One of the few things Vasily had a firm understanding of was irony, and he found every single nation that tried to follow the ideas of Karl Marx to be dripping with it. Although, that was not nearly enough to make him rethink his loyalties. The motherland was everything, his own thoughts and feelings were irrelevant. To question was to court treason.

And treason would always be punishable by death or the gulag in the Socialist Russian Federation. Whilst modern day Russia was not even on the same level as Stalin's terror, thousands of people would be reported to the secret police, the KGB, and whisked away to the frozen wastes of Alaska to work on the extension of the "trans Siberian railway."

Vasily did not fear a thing, his conditioning prevented that. But even he had little desire to end up there. That was unlikely though, this was not the Soviet Union of 1948. People did not inform on everyone else they knew just to get in the state's good books. President Flipov had actually put in legislation that punished those who did.

The Russian Warrant Officer poured out another glass of vodka from his bottle and swallowed it whole, savouring its strength. It could be said his only current pleasure in life was sitting down and having a quiet drink. A luxury shared by many of his fellow "comrades."

For the communist economy was proving surprisingly prosperous. The Party maintained an iron grip on the banks and businesses, whilst simultaneously providing a small amount of room to manoeuvre. Living standards had improved, no one was starving any more due to the GSRT, or State Agriculture Distribution Centre, handing out necessary sustenance for the people of the less fortunate regions.

It was harsh and a little unfair, many did go hungry, but no one died from starvation or thirst anymore. This was simply the best that could be made out of a bad situation, and leagues better than the idea of reintroducing "collective farming."

Said idea, and those who proposed it, had been quietly laughed out of the Kremlin some years ago. After the failure of Stalin and Mao, even an ideology as inflexible as Communism recognized a foolish idea where it saw one.

 _Politics...I am a soldier, it is not my position to think of such things. Yet I do..._

Vasily took his mind off all the unpleasant things Pravda never reported but everyone knew about. Instead, he watched the world go by. As it was mid day, there were no children scampering to school, nor workers frantically scrambling over one another to get to their jobs.

Now, there was only people on work breaks, or lovers walking the streets, hands linked together.

Love...an emotion he struggled with. Like any teenage boy, Vasily had little understanding of his own feelings, even less of those around him, not at all helped by his training. For the Seraph war, Russia had desired something akin to super soldier.

And that was what they got.

Beaten and broken until he was strong by the Spetsnaz's finest since the age of four, his body flooded with steroids to bolster his muscle mass, his very mind overridden with obedience to the Communist Party.

To mother Russia.

Vasily was now capable of putting down six fully grown men at once. But that had come at the cost of whatever childhood he may have once had.

The sixteen year old tried to dismiss these thoughts, trying to focus on the passing world. New problems arose when he found his hazel gaze fixing on the happy couples enjoying their day.

 _I wish...I wish..._

He gripped his shot glass a little tighter. He did not wish for anything save for the destruction of the motherland's enemies. Besides, even if he could...pursue such a thing as friendship...romance...he would not succeed. All the world would see is a terrifying, cold Russian soldier garbed in the uniform of his army.

Behind him, a man keeled over and collapsed on the hard floor, merrily gurgling away. His friends roared with drunken laughter at him, whilst Vasily looked on stony faced.

 _What is funny?_

He turned away and took another gulp from his glass of vodka, pushing the nagging sensation of loneliness aside.

 _I don't remember the last time I laughed...it does not matter. I must do my Patriotic duty. It is all I know._

* * *

 _3:00pm, People's Republics of Asia, People's Republic of China, Beijing, Tiananmen square_

"Thank you!" Liu Zhou said politely to the stall tender, his boxes of warm noodles held firmly in hand. The elder woman smiled warmly, nodded, then served her next customer.

Quickly moving back into the centre of the square, he found Kim Hye at the fountain where he'd left her.

"I couldn't get any _Japche_ , so I just got sweet and sour pork for us both." He said sheepishly, eliciting a sigh from his girlfriend.

"For God's sake, Zhou. You know I'm not too fussed with food." She patted the spot next to her, beckoning him to sit down.

Hye would have preferred a native dish of her homeland, but was ultimately untroubled. Mostly because, as a child of old North Korea, she didn't really complain about what food she got...

Without another word, Zhou sat by her side and they both tucked in, basking in the sweetness of the taste and the brilliance of the sun above them. Here, in the open, the blue sky above, the Forbidden City behind, the two felt a tiny bit liberated. Not least by simply wearing ordinary clothes, not their uniforms.

Zhou could only imagine what his girlfriend would look like in a dress, probably something like ten million _Yuan_. But, as was part of her charm, Hye was quite the tomboy. Dresses were not her thing, skirts infuriated her.

 _Not like I need to imagine anything now..._

He had to fight off his blush, try to push down memories of unfathomable pleasure back into the dark recesses of his mind.

It had been the happiest night of his life. A fine dinner, a good film, laughter echoing throughout her apartment, kissing and...what came next. There really was no way he could describe it to someone who hadn't experienced it. He'd felt complete, whole, when he was with her, in both spirit...and in flesh.

Hye however, noticed immediately and nudged him.

"Honestly, you think about that now?" She chided.

"Sorry...can't help it..." Zhou stammered, causing his girlfriend to laugh.

"Oh it's to be expected. You are a man after all." She let her head rest on his shoulder, enjoying his company and the sun shining down upon them. They stayed that way for a while, not just doing what any lovers of their age would do, but also waiting.

As they were here for a reason.

In times gone past, the flag raising ceremony was performed on only the most special of occasions, National day and such. Now, with the _"Encouragement of sacred Patriotism amendment"_ it was raised every day in cities across the PRA. Attendance was not mandatory, but woe betide any member of the vast eastern block that didn't carry it out.

Soldiers would march out into the centre of Tiananmen square, hook the crimson banner onto a flagpole, then hoist it up whilst "march of the volunteers" was played by the Military Band of the People's Liberation Army of China. For those who despised Beijing and communism, it was a monument to their suppression. To those of a patriotic disposition, Zhou among them, it was a small celebration of what made China great, and how this greatness was spread to all.

" **Silence for the flag!"** A loudspeaker boomed.

As if on que, a great hush fell upon the square. Boots slamming against pavement echoed, the steely faces of the troopers assigned with so important a task, being barely visible. The band hurried to their position, and took up their instruments. A minute later, the flag of red and gold was attached and ready to be hoisted.

" **Stand for the national anthem!"**

The band didn't play straight away, waiting for the noise of thousands of people standing up to abate. When it did, they began the tune. Slowly, the men of the 500th division, hoisted the flag upwards.

As the trumpets reached their crescendo, the trooper unfurled the flag in a grandiose manner, then snapped back to attention. The words of the Chinese national anthem, were then sung by all present in the square.

" _Qilai! Buyuan zuo nulide renmen!  
_

 _Ba womende xuerou, zhucheng women xinde changcheng!  
_

 _Zhonghua minzu daole zui weixiande shihou.  
_

 _Meige ren beipozhe fachu zuihoude housheng.  
_

 _Qilai! Qilai! Qilai!  
_

 _Women wanzhong yixin,  
_

 _Maozhe dirende paohuo, Qianjin!  
_

 _Maozhe dirende paohuo, Qianjin!  
_

 _Qianjin! Qianjin! Jin!"_

It flew so proudly, that banner of crimson with gold stars on it. From the age of four, Zhou had his life devoted to the cause of that flag. To live, breathe, and die for China, for the revolution, and for the dream of Chairman Mao. But it had not been until he met Hye, who brought him out into the real world, to meet the people he was meant to protect, that he saw the true face of his country.

Now he would gladly give his life for China and the People's Republics of Asia, not because he had been taught to, but because he chose to.

Hye rested her head on his shoulder, contented.

Captain Liu Zhou had his reason to die for his country. But the girl who stood next to him, hand laced around his, was his reason to live.

 _By the heavens, I **will** come back to you. _


	42. 10:3 The Sovereign's command

_The realm of Vhaayn_

 _Two more fallen...Gods grant me vengeance._

From atop his throne, Netzach looked down on his kneeling children. All had gathered, for yet more had fallen to the enemy. Tears were becoming less common now, the number of siblings lost had hardened them to grief. He deemed this as both positive and negative a thing, as whilst gaining strength in all things was the way of their people, becoming cold to the loss of family...was not something the Divine Lord wanted.

 _So close this time...so close._

He'd already offered his prayers to the Gods, so Israfel and Isrefael's souls would be sped on their way to Rihuv. Now he had to focus on the present and continue to press this strange war.

"Any suggestions?" He boomed.

There were none. The closest thing they could field to a coordinated unit had been slain, despite coming so close to final victory. Had it not been for that wretched Purple Devil, the forces of NERV may well have been destroyed in that first engagement.

 _Little wretch. You, a mere child, know not what powers you insult. Perhaps before this war is done, you may yet taste Subjugation's bite._

His hand tenderly stroked his blade. If things continued as they did...these brats would have the privilege of experiencing his might before being erased from existence. But not yet, there were still other things that needed trying.

"Bring one to me." He demanded.

You could have heard a pin drop in that room.

"How?" Matarael tilted his head, his mighty muscles bulging at their mere use.

"Lure them into battle, snatch one from under their noses, drag it back through my rift, and Haniel shall have my blessing to break every bone in its body until I get the information I desire." The harshness of his tone chilled all to the bone. Although his Heirs knew they weren't at risk from him, his wrath was a terrifying thing to behold. And now there was no mother to temper his rage.

It was understandable of course. Not much eclipsed the grief and fury of a bereaved father.

"Can it be done?" Bardiel said, curiously.

"If we gave them tempting enough bait...I don't see why not." Zeruel nodded to himself.

"All of that is unnecessary, I will rip every last thought from their minds for you, father-" Arael closed his mouth when Netzach raised his hand.

"I require someone who is still relatively sane, Arael." The Lord said.

"Yes, father..." The younger Seraph said, disappointed.

"Whom do we send?" Haniel inquired, already thinking of a strategy.

The Sovereign thought for a moment.

"Rogziel." He directed his gaze upon one who was once his successor.

"Father?" The usually angry Divine sounded surprised.

"I entrust this task to you. I can think of few who can wrestle so terrible a foe back to our lines." Netzach said with confidence. Rogziel was the Sovereign's Wrath, and had never failed in his duties. Thousands had died by his hand, heroes broken like brittle clay by his mere presence.

Of those who did not have his blood, he was the strongest.

Whilst confused and irritated by the idea of an operation that didn't involve savage violence, Rogziel accepted.

"It will be done, my Lord." He bowed his head.

"Good. Then our business here is concluded. All save Rogziel may leave." Netzach kept his gaze fixed on the "son" he had the most awkward relationship with. The rest bowed again, then quickly departed the throne room. With only the two of them left, the Divine Lord descended from his throne, until he stood directly in front of Rogziel.

"Walk with me." He commanded. His Wrath did not consider disobeying.

* * *

The grounds of the council chamber were well kept, many a flower blooming despite the strange environment they lived in. The ground was infertile to any and all sort of crops they ate, but things still grew. And they were tended to, for as a people who'd built their civilization in volcanic ash lands, the Aesylians were masters of agriculture.

Rogziel didn't pay much attention to any of this. It was all about as relevant to him as Matarael prancing around in nothing but his loincloth, which he did so irritatingly often.

 _Why oh why can he not put on even the simplest of armour?_

The two of them slowly paced around the "gardens", the elder clad in white armour and royal black cape, the younger in red armour and white cape, an air of awkwardness stifling conversation. Whilst he did feel genuine love for this man who was his father in all but blood, the white haired Divine knew it had always been this way. Understandably, considering his blood father was the traitorous usurper, Yesod.

Netzach's murderous and long dead elder brother.

He had no love in his heart for that man, and never would. That day when he hit mother for simply speaking out of term...had pushed her children over the edge. As the true Lord's avenging armies descended upon _Froay Klei_ , the capital of old Aesylia, Sachiel, Shamshel, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Isrefael, Rogziel, and Sahaquiel, struck down their "father" in a fit of rage.

They'd expected death at the hands of the brother Yesod had wronged. The brother he'd murdered, and from whom he'd stolen his wife.

Yeschel.

But Netzach spared them. Be it either from convincing or threatening on behalf of their mother, or his own philosophy of "transgressions do not flow in blood," he did not only let them live, but took them under his wing.

For that, the children of Yesod were grateful. But still, even after all these eons, it was awkward.

"You wished for revenge, did you not?" The Divine Lord asked.

"Yes, father." Rogziel said.

"The best way we can exact vengeance for your siblings, is by understanding our enemy. When the enemy is known, so is their weakness."

"I want to kill them. I want them to writhe, and scream, and cry, as I rip their **pathetic** beating hearts out!" The younger Divine snarled, still seething with anger and loss at the deaths of his siblings. Guiltily, he did hold those who shared a blood father closer than those born from Netzach's loins. Now only he and Sahaquiel remained.

"We will, in due time." The Sovereign assured him.

"What? You act like these are just little set backs, **is that all we are to you**!" The younger roared, orange lightening flickering around him. Netzach fixed him with a stare that made his hot blood run cold. Thunder boomed in the heavens.

"I am Sovereign. I have matters to which I must attend without letting my personal feelings interfere. Do not mistake self control for a lack of care." Harshness hiding unfathomable grief wormed their way into his words. Rogziel relented, feeling a little ashamed.

"Answer me truthfully. Do you honestly feel that I value you less because of your father?" Netzach's gaze softened.

Rogziel nodded. Why would he think otherwise, after all his position as successor had been given to Zeruel when his younger brother had reached appropriate age. What else could that be but favouritism?

As if telepathically reading his thoughts, Netzach sighed.

"Zeruel is successor because of his strength...not because he is my blood." The Lord, a god like being, **nervously** reached out a hand and placed it on Rogziel's shoulder. The younger Divine did nothing to remove it.

"You, Sachiel, Shamshel, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Isrefael, and Sahaquiel, are all Yeschel's children. You are all my heirs, and I am proud of you."

The Sovereign's Wrath, shocked, humbled, and touched, smiled as he felt his eyes water up.

"Thank you, father. I will not disappoint you." He shook slightly.

"I know you won't. You never have." Tenderly, the most powerful child of the mightiest warrior race to ever exist, pulled a man who was his son in all but blood into a gentle, and loving embrace.

One only a father could give.


	43. 11:1 A missed holiday

_"To defy the Emperor is to defy the Empire. And to defy the Empire is treason."  
_ _ **  
Imperial propaganda administered to the conquered territories**_

* * *

 _3:30pm, Wednesday the 2nd of August, Sengokuhara High_

Apparently there was once a time when it was cold. When the skies would be grey, when the wind would bite your ears and cheeks, when a blanket of this thing called "snow" would descend upon the land, covering it in white.

Toji and Kensuke, like many Japanese their age, had seen pictures of places with it. Usually of the Imperial homeland, northern Europe, Siberia, and the top end of the Federal fatherland once known as "Canada."

But they'd never personally set eyes on snow. And probably never would.

Not that it bothered them, as they were used to the constant sweltering heat of Japan's eternal summer. This was why they sat in the shade, where the temperature would drop by a few merciful degrees. Soon, they would board one of the school buses and be driven off to the airport, from where they would be flown to the island of Okinawa.

Kensuke was absolutely ecstatic, whilst Toji merely looked forward to getting away for a bit. Sakura was in good hands at the hospital and had ordered him to go and have fun. Although not of the variety where he would admire the girls in their swim wear...

"This'll probably get us a few dozen yen." The geek smiled to himself, looking at one of the many photos they had at their feet.

This was an...unorthodox but profitable form of employment. On behalf of all the hormone driven teenage boys in the school, he would set out to acquire images of Sengokuhara High's large stock of attractive girls, then sell them back to his grateful clients.

Was he meant to be doing this, probably not.

Did Toji tell him to give it up before Hikari found out almost every day. Yes.

But it was decent money for a fifteen year old, and he did have standards. The inner sanctums of the changing rooms were totally off limits, and full nudity was not something he ever took pictures of.

It could be said then that Kensuke Aida was a "horny little bugger" who let his hormones and greed rule him in a few areas where they really shouldn't.

Well, that's what Toji thought. He felt a little obligated to stick around his best friend whenever he was off doing madness like this. As tempting as it was to look at certain pictures of Hikari, he restrained himself. Many compared him to a monkey, but there was a gentleman hidden deep beneath all that muscle.

"You know you'll get your head ripped off if anyone ever catches you doing this?" He grumbled.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Kensuke shrugged, holding a photo up to the sun and smiling slightly.

 _Got to thank you, Soryu-san. Business is booming because of you._

Many of the boys had become infatuated with the exotic girl. Her red hair and milky white skin utterly enthralled them. Thus, pictures of her had been in demand of late.

"Don't know why everyone likes her...she's such a bitch..." Toji huffed to himself. Asuka had struck him the wrong way from the moment he met her. Just the way she held herself with such undeserved pride, aggressive towards everyone she didn't like or might deem as competition, and how she treated Shinji, **his friend** , made the jock's blood boil.

 _Spirits, she's just...unpleasant. I mean Horaki-san can be strict but she isn't...ah damn it._

He was blushing again.

"You know I can still give you some produce." Kensuke gave the larger boy a knowing wink.

"And you can keep it." Toji said, harshly.

"Alright..." The sandy haired geek trailed off, shuffling his photos for a while. Then he spoke again.

"Ask her out."

"Oh come on!" The jock sighed explosively. They'd had this conversation every other week for the past five years.

"I'm serious. You've crushed on her since... _forever_ , so why not? You're a nice person and she could do **way worse**." Kensuke was honestly baffled by his best friend's infatuation with the class rep. Not that she wasn't pretty or anything but, she was quite overbearing. Making sure everyone was in on time, reprimanding those who didn't, putting bullies in line, ensuring all homework was in or yet another reprimanding. True authority in their class lay in her hands.

Toji had never liked authority figures so why...

The black haired boy remained quiet, but so fixated on this conversation and fighting off his blush, he failed to notice someone approach them. Kensuke so busy sorting through his photos doing the same.

Before they knew it, a shadow loomed over them.

"What...is this?" Said a voice laced with barely contained contempt and disgust.

The two boys looked up to see Samuel glowering down on them.

"Oh...oh, Meadow-san! W-we were just-" Toji tried to cover them, but the Imperial had already snatched up one of their photos. One of a particular redhead. The glower became a scowl.

"You know you should ask for someone's permission when taking a photo, you perverted savages." He crumpled the photo up, then ripped it in half.

"Hey! Do you know how much those cost to print-" Kensuke was saying, until the Imperial had snatched him by the shirt and hauled him to his feet, vehement fury in his electric blue eyes. His friend's honour had been slighted, Samuel would correct that.

"Consider yourself lucky that I don't break your camera right here and now, then shove it down your throat." The elder boy snarled, seeing the terror in those bespectacled eyes.

Toji was already standing, ready to move at a moments notice if things went nasty. But he doubted it. Major Samuel Meadow was many things, a violent bully not being one of them. This was for show, this was to hammer in a message and a lesson so it would never be forgotten.

Unbeknown to the jock, this was how members of the Imperial nobility were taught to deal with their subjects and subordinates.

"Please don't hurt us!" Kensuke whimpered, wincing.

The Imperial smiled. Clearly the lesson had been understood. Abruptly relinquishing his grip on the geek's shirt, he let him crumbled back onto the floor. Giving a quick glare at the equally tall but far muscular jock, he stepped back a bit.

Samuel his gaze then went past the jock, as if looking at something. The smile broadened.

"Don't worry, I won't lay a finger on you..." He turned away with hands held behind his back. All as **another** shadow eclipsed Kensuke and Toji.

"But she will!" The Imperial added, gleefully.

The two boys turned their gaze upon the newcomer, and felt even greater fear than before. The jock gulped, and the geek let out a near silent, strangled, scream.

" _Guten morgen_ , boys. What are you doing?" Asuka snarled, lip and eye **twitching**.

* * *

Before they'd leave, the students had been tasked with cleaning up their classrooms. Making sure chairs were put away, floors were clear, and windows clean. It would leave them with less work to get back to.

Most of the students had flocked out of the room almost immediately, knowing full well the "pig tailed dictator" would put them to work as soon as she possibly could. But Hikari didn't mind, those who stayed behind were more enthusiastic and capable at the job, so it was a win-win situation for her.

Now only four students remained in that room. Herself, Ayanami, Ikari, and Kirishima. Whilst the class rep did occasionally look over her shoulder to make sure Mana didn't try anything with the boy she held responsible for her father's death, she needn't have bothered.

The girl was upset with him, she did not wish harm on him. The explosion on the day of the parade, where she'd pushed him over, had been a heat of the moment affair. One the girl was utterly ashamed of.

 _Father would have been so disappointed._ She snatched a glance at the mousey haired boy who nervously worked in the corner, trying to maintain his distance.

Mana scowled.

 _I can't focus on that imbecile, I've got to work hard, I've got to get me degrees. I'm an orphan now, I have too..._

She wasn't old enough to own the property her father had left behind, so it was taken away. Her home, her little lakeside home, was gone. The girl had no next of kin, and was therefore crammed in with another ten people in a care home for needy children. Granted, the state paid absolutely everything when it came to education, transport, and the like. General Motichka took care of her soldiers and their families, making her extremely popular with the armed forces.

The redhead did feel something akin to "indebted" to the dictator. Her life would have basically been over where it not for the JSAF pension.

 _Maybe the military will accept me after education is done? Go into administration, oversee ammunition dumps and all that...maybe...maybe..._

It wasn't much hope, but Mana would hold onto it with all her heart.

In terms of their roles, Hikari was picking all the pencils, pens, and papers off the floor, Shinji was polishing the windows, Rei was checking whether or not anything was hidden under the desks, and Mana had a vacuum cleaner in hand. They worked efficiently as a group, being almost finished after ten minutes. For Mana and Hikari, it was strange to see a boy be so competent at domestic matters, that being the domain of women in Japanese culture for hundreds of years.

Whilst there were no laws against women taking employment, the stigma did persist in some places.

Over in the corner, Rei suddenly seemed as if she'd heard something, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. She stood up and made her way to the classroom door. Peeking out at the corridor, seeing nothing, she leaned back in and closed it, the lock clicking.

"Ayanami-san? What are you doing?" Hikari tilted her head.

"What must be done, class representative." The albino said cryptically.

"What?" Mana said, confused and annoyed. She was immediately answered by the howls of terrified teenage boys who thundered through the outside corridor, soon followed by various obscenities in German from a feminine voice.

"Oh joy, she caught them taking pictures...should have reprimanded them sooner." The class rep shook her head. She'd known what Aida was up to for quite a while now, but felt sure Suzuhara would talk him out of it eventually. The jock was many things, ungallant not one of them.

Clearly, she hadn't been quick enough. And now Kensuke would learn **why** he shouldn't go around taking pictures.

"Taking pictures?" Shinji scratched the back of his head.

"Yes. Aida-san thinks it's a great idea to sneak around the girl's changing rooms with his camera. He doesn't put it online at least but...ugh...stupid boy..." Hikari huffed.

Mana's cheeks became redder than her hair.

"So you're telling me those pervs have been snapping pictures of us for the past few months?" She snarled.

"Yes." Hikari nodded, despairingly.

"You could have said!"

"And you lot would have lynched Aida-san for it. He's not a bad boy, so I'd hoped he'd stop by himself. As that hasn't happened so far...I was going to talk to him." The pig tailed girl's hand clenched her "book of offenders."

Mana piped down. The book of offenders was not just a list of people their resident tyrant kept an eye on, but a legitimate weapon to bludgeon dissidents into line. She knew, she'd seen it. There was a reason there were no bullies in Hikari Horaki's class.

"You won't need to." Shinji cast a sympathetic gaze in the direction of his friend's flight.

"Soryu-san will do that for you." He sighed, and returned to polishing.

Hikari looked thoughtful for a moment.

"How athletic is she, Ikari-san?" She asked.

"Hmm...she's been an Eva pilot for years so she's probably a lot stronger than me. Military training and all..." Shinji shrugged.

"Ah...so any moment..." The class rep trailed off, straining her ears.

There were two faint screams in the distance.

It seemed Kensuke's business venture had come to an end.

 _Baka_

Hikari shook her head, then appraised the classroom. Everything was as it should be, to her total satisfaction.

"Job's done, people. Myself and Kirishima-san need to get to the bus...I'm sorry you can't come along." She gave a look of pained apology to Rei and Shinji.

"It's no problem, really. Besides, I'm not a holiday person." The boy put on a smile.

"We have our duties to attend to." Rei added.

"Alright. See you next week." The class rep smiled.

"I'll be along in a moment, Horaki-san. I'll just get my things together." Mana said, earnestly waving someone who had been a friend in hard times on.

The group filed out of the class, only for Hikari to turn and stop Shinji a few paces from the door.

"Go back in there." She gestured at the class.

"What?" He said, confused yet realizing what the class rep was asking of him. And he didn't like it at all.

"What have I told you about letting things fester?" Hikari said harshly.

Shinji shuffled uncomfortably beneath her brown gaze, then sighed.

"Don't let it."

"Good boy. Now go on." Hikari smiled, satisfied, then turned away. He gave a quick glance at Rei, a glance that told her to go on without him. That done, he slowly made his way back into the classroom, bracing himself for what he had to do.

Mana was quietly packing her things into her bag, seemingly unaware of his presence. Afternoon light trickled in through the window, making the situation seem far too warm and welcoming.

Shinji took one step into the room, when her blue gaze snapped up to glare at him.

"How hard did the class rep have to twist your arm to get you in here, Ikari-san?" She said his name with savagery.

It took every ounce of his strength not to shake, even more so to continue walking. He gulped slightly before answering.

"I...I know about your father...about what happened to him-"

"Yes, he died because of you, what about it?" Mana snarled.

His heart tore itself apart, for the boy still agonized over watching that ship explode, watching a thousand lives be vaporized in a moment. It haunted his dreams.

 _She's right. If I'd just done what Misato-san told me to do, I'd have killed that thing then and there. This...this wouldn't have happened._

What nonsense. He'd have got it wrong anyway, he was too weak, too stupid to do anything otherwise. _Stupid Shinji_ , what a fine and accurate nickname Asuka had crafted for him.

"I just...I just wanted to say...s-s-sorry..." He stammered, only to see her eyes flare.

"Sorry? Sorry isn't good enough, **baka**!" She abruptly stood up and prodded a finger into his chest.

"I...I know..."

"I'll never get to see my father again. I'll never get to...to...sit on the sofa and watch whatever is on television, or have any of his shitty cooking, or, or laugh when he'd accidentally cut himself shaving, or celebrate my birthday with the only family I had left. **That's all gone because you couldn't do your fucking job!** " She'd pressed her finger in quite hard, not enough to push him over, but enough to hurt.

Shinji's lip quivered as he tried to push down the tears, failing to meet her gaze with his own. She was right, and what else could he do? He'd offered his apology and she hadn't accepted it. Surely that was all he could do...

 _You have stared Seraphim,_ _ **eldritch demi gods**_ _, in the eye._ _ **And you cut them all down.**_ _You can do this._

He was taken aback by this stern resilience, wondering if he'd gone mad and now had voices in his head. But...was it wrong? He didn't have much time, he'd have to think of something else to say and quickly. Thus, Shinji resolved to express not just an apology, but his feelings on the matter.

"Do you really think if I could trade places with him, I wouldn't?" Shinji said, sadly. He wished he could, to bring any one of those tens of thousands of people back. How many children like Mana had been bereaved of a parent, sibling, or loved one when the 6th Seraph destroyed the Tsushima?

How many died because he couldn't do his job properly?

The finger retracted from his chest as the redhead stepped back, surprised at this. The self absorbed brat who had so much more than she did at the moment...had he really just said he'd trade places with her father, gladly at that?

"Why did you say that?" She asked.

Shinji didn't lift his gaze. His fist merely clenched and unclenched. But Mana didn't feel threatened by that.

"I...I just...gah, I just wish people would stop dying because of me. I don't deserve it." His shoulders slumped further somehow.

Nothing made sense to her now. This person she'd focused her hatred on for a while now, was not only sorry for all the misery that had occurred under his watch, but genuinely **remorseful** and sad at the loss of life.

Mana closed her eyes, her stomach contorting in on itself. This boy had robbed her of her life, but it wasn't like he meant to. He hadn't done as well as he could, and her father died for it. Just another casualty of war, as those sick bastards at NERV would probably say. They who considered the entire Pacific fleet and the Eastern army nothing more than sacrificial pawns for the protection of their Evangelions.

But he wasn't a part of that decision making. His eyes were too soft, his body posture so filled with apology and self loathing, that Mana couldn't bring herself to hate him now.

Now she understood every single life lost was something he held himself personally responsible for.

How could she hate that?

Mana Kirishima loudly exhaled through her nose, her aggression fading away. Silence hung over the room for another minute straight until she spoke.

"Just promise me one thing, Ikari-san." Softness filtered into her words.

The brown haired boy said nothing.

"Don't let any more little girls cry for lost loved ones." Mana only just choked back a sob.

Shinji stammered for a few moments, unsure what to say. How would he ever promise something like that?

"Promise." The redhead insisted.

"...alright." He nodded, awkwardly.

"Say the words."

"I promise."

And with that the redhead sighed, as if the world had just dropped off her shoulders. She looked him in the eye and smiled, tears for a lost parent welling up in them, knowing this is what Otamo Kirishima would want. What he always would have wanted.

For her to move on.

"I...accept your apology...Ikari-san."

* * *

 _Ten minutes later_

The school buses drove away, their S2 engines merrily humming. It was mind boggling to Shinji how, in years gone past, cars actually pumped out carbon dioxide and made so much noise. He wasn't sure why Misato kept her car that way, going to great lengths in making sure it still made that throaty roar whenever the engine fired up.

Perhaps it was nostalgia.

Modern vehicles now had a focus on comfort more than anything else. Weight and miles per gallon were not something designers and engineers even had to consider any more. The exception for that was Super Cars of course, for those who enjoyed speed above all else, but only a privileged few could afford them.

Their buses in particular were Mitsubishi KY-3s, not as massive as the vast HY-6s which could carry a hundred people per vehicle but still large. Fifty seats artfully slid in to each one, enough space between them for all to sit comfortably. One day, Shinji decided he would really like to actually go for a drive on one of those...but not today.

The four Eva Pilots stood there, having bid good bye to their fellow classmates. As in, Shinji and Rei had, Samuel merely raised his hand in a wave, and Asuka had glowered at the slightly bruised Kensuke and Toji as they boarded. Hikari had told them to take care of themselves, adding a little bit of sympathy in with their plight and promising to bring back photos.

Then they were gone, Shinji only just managing to catch Mana's eye in the bus window before they left.

Now he and Rei were stuck with these two, again.

"Well now what?" Samuel said.

"We wait for Misato-san to pick us up, then do stuff at home?" Shinji offered. He got a quick glare from the Imperial for his trouble.

"We can't do that day in day out! Don't you get bored?"

"Um...no..."

"I'm shocked, really would never have guessed..." Asuka sighed sarcastically.

"What has Ikari-kun done that's wrong?" Rei looked at them with a trace of confusion.

"Ugh, nothing, First. It's just kinda dull to stay indoors all day and do the ironing and washing up. Ordinary people go out and do stuff. Gott, they don't let you out the tank often, do they?" The redhead dismissed her.

The albino remained quiet, pondering those words.

 _Ordinary...what is ordinary?_

Shinji meanwhile did not appreciate anyone taking that tone with Rei, but didn't make too much of a fuss about it. Asuka seemed quite stubborn and would probably make a huge argument about it. And he hated arguments, or confrontation in any way.

 _And yet I've ended up as one of mankind's last hopes. The universe must have a sense of humour._

"Good thing I brought my Playstation. Lord knows how bored I'd get if I hadn't." Samuel chimed in with a slightly brighter tone.

"You've got books haven't you?" Asuka said, annoyed at his complaining.

"The novelty wears off after a while."

The redhead shrugged, deeming his words to be fair.

"Eh, I'll probably be hitting the pool at some point. If I can't enjoy the springs in Okinawa, then I suppose I'll have to make do." She clicked her back, her sapphire gaze scanning the road and waiting for that purple car to come and get them. Misato had told them she'd pick them up that day, so as to save them the trouble of dealing with public transport. Shinji suspected it was his guardian's attempt at trying to make up for them missing out on the school trip, but he didn't mind.

"Swimming sounds...alright." He offered, coming to the startling realization he hadn't gone for a swim in months. A few baths, yes, but not a proper swim.

 _What have I been doing with my life? Oh...yes...of course..._

"That makes two." Asuka smiled slightly, turning her gaze upon Rei and Samuel.

"Oh fine...swimming it is." The Imperial grumbled.

"I take no issue." Rei stated.

" _Wunderbar_! That's a day out sorted!" The German girl's posture became more cheerful, giving the impression to all that she enjoyed swimming.

 _Can't really blame her...it is nice._

The sound of a petrol like engine caught their attention, as a purple sports car heralding from a time before they were born, revved up the road to them.

"You've all got swimming gear, right?" Asuka asked.

The rest of them remained silent, with only Shinji tenderly raising his hand.

The freckled girl groaned.

"Oh that's just perfect...you've got trunks, Sam!"

"They're back in Britain, I wasn't expecting to go bloody swimming!" Samuel said explosively.

"I thought the Imperial military was all about, _being prepared_."

"Asuka, it was either my trunks or my _Master and Commander_ collection. What did you think was going to happen?"

"Ugh, Imperial dummkopf!"

Shinji and Rei slowly looked at one another, almost communicating telepathically.

"This is going to be quite a week." The brown haired boy said, tiredly and in resignation.

The blue haired girl glanced at her squabbling comrades.

"...Indeed."


	44. 11:2 The command is carried out

**_Rejoice my subjects, your Emperor has returned! And he brings you yet more of his shitty (ahem) glorious works! Now, let us begin..._**

* * *

 _Thursday the 3rd of August, Tokyo-3, Red Seal shopping district, 12:00pm_

"No, that's far too tight...that one's too small...ugh, must I do everything myself!?"

From a thankful distance, Shinji watched Asuka admonish her two "shopping buddies" as she bustled them through the sports shop. It wasn't like there was lack of things to choose from, but the redhead was picky. Despite Samuel's constant saying of "this will do", Asuka would dismiss him with "the colour's wrong" or "you don't look right in that."

"If you're wondering, yes that is a woman thing." Misato chuckled to herself, fondly remembering the shopping trips she'd been on with her former charge. Berlin was a shoppers paradise without a doubt, and she wasn't opposed to occasionally giving into her womanly wiles, but Misato was a tomboy at heart. It wasn't something she did all that often, even during her college days.

But, she could hardly fault the teenage girl for doing something that gave her happiness. Something _other_ than Eva...

The purplehead admonished herself.

 _Oh honestly, I shouldn't worry about it. My Pilots are tough, they can handle those sorts of things themselves. I need to focus on the Seraphim._

"I believe there was a swimsuit adequate for the job..." Rei found herself longingly looking back, not understanding why she'd had to be dragged through multiple stalls just to find "something that fit."

"No! It was so bland. I know you're dull and all, First, but if you're going to be wearing something its got to look nice." Asuka huffed, pulling a pair of swimming shorts off the rack and pushing it into Samuel's hands.

"Well...at least they aren't speedos." He murmured to himself.

"And just you remember that. I've already checked, they're your size and they're blue. That colour just works with you." The redhead pictured her Imperial friend in his uniform. Even if it wasn't in that way, Asuka could not deny that Samuel was a handsome young man.

"Blue is a royal and dignified colour. As a noble of the Empire, it is no surprise that it suits me." The blonde boy puffed his chest out. Asuka raised an eyebrow at that.

"You...dignified...hmm, not words I usually put together...aha, this should work just fine for you, First." Asuka distracted herself, having bustled off to another side of the shop and taken a white swimsuit off the rack.

Rei was puzzled by all this. She actually had a swimsuit which met the school criteria for swimming lessons. But apparently the redhead had deemed that "hideous" and hauled her out here.

"What size are you, First?" Asuka asked.

In the meantime, Shinji and Misato had decided to step outside and get some air. Hot and humid air, but air nonetheless. Around them, people went about enjoying a time of leisure or stressing themselves out with desperately searching for what they needed. You wouldn't believe Japan was under the iron fist of a military junta, but the economy was roaring and businesses were booming, all because people now had security in which they could have jobs and make money.

This, coupled with the technological advancements of the post Second Impact years, had heightened the standard of Japanese living as yet unseen. And with the population having halved, well...there was a lot of land to build cheap and affordable homes on going spare.

But the prosperity had come at a cost, as evidenced by the sight the two saw.

Liberty.

Some fool was spreading "Free Japan" graffiti on the side of a disused wall, covering up a JSA recruitment poster, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. But the fully armed troopers on patrol noticed, and they firmly ripped him away from the wall.

People hurried on, trying to ignore the soldiers who'd become judge and jury in their country, pummel this "dissident" with the butts of their rifles. When this man, who could only have been in his early twenties, lay bloodied and unconscious on the floor, he was hauled away to the cells. This was what became of those who defied General Motichka, and Shinji had no intention of joining their ranks. Nevertheless, his insides squirmed at the sight, whilst Misato had to fight off twitches of rage.

 _This is so fucked up. He wasn't doing any harm, damn it._

Granted, she was no fan of the Free Japan Movement, their sarin gas attack on the Osaka metro which killed hundreds firmly putting her off them for life.

"We're done..." Asuka's cheery voice trailed off, seeing the result of the "dissident act" in action. This was an idea utterly alien to the German girl, of free speech being silenced by the boot and the bayonet. The Reich bore all the trappings of Empire, but it was a democracy at heart. One of the last, along with Scandinavia, France and Israel. Even for Samuel, a child of an Empire which banned certain media for petty reasons, this was extreme. The worst anyone would get for "defacing public property" would be a metaphorical rap on the knuckles.

Not...this...

"Great, guess I can whisk you off to the pool now." Misato lightened the conversation with a positive grin. She could see a big bag in Asuka's hand.

"Did you pay for all that?" The purple haired woman tilted her head.

"Nein. Sam paid for his stuff, **but First here** forgot to bring money." The redhead glowered at her albino counterpart.

"I have promised reparations." The albino stated.

"It's not that! You knew we were going shopping, why didn't you bring any money? Did you expect other people to pay for you!?"

"I...have not done this before. I lack the necessary knowledge of how to approach such a situation. Nevertheless, you have my sincerest gratitude for assisting me in my predicament-"

"Ugh whatever! We're wasting time here, people." Asuka dismissed the albino's surprisingly earnest apology and stormed off to the car, Samuel following. Misato gave a slightly sympathetic look at Rei, then moved off as well, beckoning for the remaining two children to follow.

"You've never been shopping before?" Shinji asked Rei. Slight anger clawed at his heart as he guessed why that was so.

 _For **fuck's sake, father**. Why haven't you even let her do something as simple as this? Even I can do shopping!_

"No. NERV provided me with what I required. Shopping was not...necessary." The artificial human said, relaying precisely what the Commander had told her.

" _Such things are pointless, Rei. The scenario is all."_

"Well...I...guess I'll have to teach you about that too." The brown haired boy sighed, then lead his sister back to the car and their appointment with a swimming pool.

* * *

 _Far beneath Kyushu_

Had he wished it, he could have simply blasted through those rocks as if they were nothing. Perhaps even that wasn't necessary, as Rogziel's mere presence could probably unmake the islands of Japan.

But that was not his mission.

The Heir was thankful he'd received permission to not have Haniel's voice in his head. The Fist would sense from afar whether he lived or died, which suited Rogziel just fine. Besides, he wasn't quite sure how any normal mind would cope from being exposed to his wrath. For he was wrath incarnate. The wrath of loved ones long gone, his siblings, his mother...his wife...his child...his people, unleashed upon the Voor filth who'd taken them from him, or slighted their memory. It was frustrating beyond belief that he simply could not throw himself at this pathetic race who dared claim lordship over the Divine people's land.

But that was not his mission.

The plan, a fair bit of which he'd formulated by himself, was to give off a weak flair of his wall of light, enough to attract attention, from a position where he'd have the advantage. And by quietly digging this tunnel, Rogziel had perfected a fine escape route for himself and his quarry.

Through intelligence provided by the Fist, the former successor of Netzach had selected his ground with great care. To his slight joy, it did seem that Ejrod still roared with fire and life, Sural's kingdom having endured all these years. Volcanoes and ash, were agonizing yet treasured reminders of home. Of old Aesylia.

 ** _Where does that man get his intelligence from?I know Haniel travelled here in the past, has contacts, but what fool would sell out their own species? There must be something more..._**

Rogziel pondered such things as he continued to burrow further and further into Japan. Fond memories of campaigns long past came to mind, such as the fall of Jeijenael. When he and two thousand warriors had quietly dug beneath the defences of their mighty walls...only to run into an equal amount of the enemy doing the same thing. What a bloodbath it had been, but how glorious.

He did not despise the Fleilan warriors as he hated the Vooren. They died with courage and honour, unflinching in their duty to their lords and lands. They deserved to sit at the table of the Gods.

 ** _Still...our current enemy must have some honour. The Knights of NERV prime among them, but...no, the Fist must lie. None would betray their own people, their own kin and countrymen for petty things like financial gain. And if they do...then our enemies are even less than I thought they'd be._**

Disappointment wormed its way into his heart. For despite his anger overcoming most of his senses at the best of times, Rogziel did seek an honourable opponent to fight. Traitors and cowards, or those who fought for themselves and not their comrades or lands, **sickened** him. To die in battle was often considered the greatest honour of their people. But Rogziel felt differently, to die with your honour and ideals intact and perhaps even on their behalf, was the very definition of a true "beautiful death" to his mind.

Perhaps he may be granted one today, if things went wrong? No, the only people gaining "beautiful deaths" this day, were the Vooren who stood in his way. If they didn't, then whichever one he ensnared would be hauled back to Vhaayn for questioning. It was with some hope they'd break and talk before Arael could be set upon them...but these creatures were stubborn.

 ** _Be they stubborn or cowards, it matters not. I am Rogziel the Wrathful, none shall stand before me. No one, save for my family itself, can do such a thing. Pray to whatever false idols you worship, Vooren. They will not save you._**

* * *

 _12:15pm, Uesegi leisure centre_

Sometimes, he really was annoyed by his own insistence on getting jobs done. For example, he had a science assignment which he wanted to get done as soon as possible, hence why Shinji was typing away on a portable work touchscreen, on a requisitioned table and chair. Unfortunately, he'd found himself compelled to do it this day when he could be enjoying a bit of swimming. Something which everyone else was doing aside from him and Misato. The purplehead in question currently enjoying some coffee from the pool's cafeteria.

Although, truth be told, Rei was the only one in the water at the moment, and swimming beautifully. Asuka was still in the changing rooms, and Samuel was standing by the deep end, dipping his toe gingerly into the water and wittering about the pool being too cold.

At that, Shinji smiled slightly.

"Aren't you going in?" Said a voice he knew all too well.

"Hmm, wouldn't mind it. But I've got to do my assignmen-" Any more words stopped dead in his mouth.

Asuka stood before him in a red and white striped bikini. A shockingly well fitting one, with a zip on the front of the bra. Her pale skin, her rather exotic skin, was almost completely exposed to his eyes, aside from a few vital bits that she had every right to cover up. And yet her A-10 hairpins were still in, despite having no reason to be there.

Owing to how swimming lessons worked, boys and girls went in at different times during the school day, so Shinji had never seen the opposite sex in swimwear before. This coupled with Asuka being quite an attractive girl in many ways, made his cheeks turn redder than her hair.

"What is it, Third? Is it difficult?" The freckled girl smiled slyly, hands held on her hips.

"No...yes...um...it's a physics thing. Thermal expansion and all that..." He trailed off, not even inwardly mocking his inability at the subject, so enraptured by her as he was.

"Thermal expansion? That's kindergarten schlock!" Doing the exact thing he didn't want, Asuka brought herself to his table and leaned over to look at his work. Exposing a certain part of her chest which made Shinji's battle to prevent the warmth in a certain part of his body spreading. Hence why he said very little.

Utterly ignoring him, she quietly muttered to herself whilst pressing some of the highlighted glyphs on the board before nodding in satisfaction.

"There, done."

"How...how did you do that?" Shinji peered at the equation she'd put in, seeing no fault in it.

"Well when someone's graduated from college, these sorts of things become simple."

"You...you've been to college?" He said incredulously. He thought you had to get through secondary school before that.

"Jah, graduated this year. Konig Friedrich College." She flicked back a strand of her red mane in pride. Said pride being well deserved in Shinji's view, as he found himself genuinely impressed by her.

"Well...congratulations." He said nervously but truthfully.

 _I don't think I'll ever go to college. Not clever enough for it._

"Why thank you, Shinji." She smiled smugly.

"No problem...I still don't think I get this though." Shinji gestured helplessly at his board.

"Ugh, it's really easy. The gist of it is, the warmer things get, the further they expand. Here's an example." She stepped away from him and with her hands, cupped her breasts.

"Now, if I put my hands on my breasts, will they get smaller, or bigger?" Her smile broadened.

An explosion of horrified stammering echoed across the pool, Shinji's cheeks somehow turning even redder.

"I...I...don't know..."

"Oh leave him alone, Asuka! He hasn't done anything to you!" Samuel called out humorously, still dipping his toe pathetically into the pool.

"Just giving him a physics demo, Sam. Relax." She shot back at him, eliciting a despairing shake of the head from the Imperial. Eventually after a good amount of indecipherable grumbles and whispers, Shinji's cerulean gaze fell onto the desk, his fringe covering his eyes.

Asuka sighed.

"Such a boring boy."

Finally, mercifully, she walked away. Shinji had to quickly look down from the table and groan in embarrassment at the slight bulge in his trousers. Looking upwards, he could see the redhead make her way to the bottom of the pool, most likely to dive in.

"Didn't know you had a thing for wimps-" Samuel snarked as she passed, only to shriek in surprise as she gave him a good shove. Said shriek was shortly stifled by the cold water he landed in. A moment later he exploded forth from beneath the cool blue liquid, Asuka looking down on him with smugness, her arms folded.

" **Ah, cold, nah, fuck off, it's in my nose!** " He flailed around for a few moments before fixing his friend with a stare.

"Don't do that again."

"Why not? You've always said a good nudge in the right direction never hurt anyone." Asuka innocently tilted her head,

" **But it's cold!** "

"Man up."

Distracted from his earlier embarrassment, Shinji quietly laughed before returning to work.

* * *

From a vantage point in the pool's cafe, Misato looked down on the children under her command. It put a bit of warmth in her heart, to see them enjoy something so simple and relaxing as swimming. She wished they could live ordinary lives, one the purplehead had never been able to have. But the war wouldn't let that happen, the Seraphim would never let that happen.

 _Not until they're all dead and pay for what they did to us._

She sipped some of the strong black liquid, rather envying the teenagers. What she wouldn't give to slip into a swimsuit and dive into those cool waters. She was on duty however, so that was out of the question. Whilst not in uniform, but her preferred attire of skimpy black dress, red jacket, and cross around neck, Misato was ready to be called upon at any moment to do her unpleasant job.

Her phone started buzzing.

 _Speak of the devil_ she sighed unhappily, flicked her thumb across the screen and held it to her ear.

"Katsuragi." She said in a disciplined tone.

" _Lieutenant Colonel, we've got a situation. A group of volcanologists monitoring Mount Asama have reported an irregularity._ " Came the voice of Ritsuko.

"Wouldn't be your standard irregularity if they want our attention." Misato stood up and paced, touching her cross.

" _Indeed. They said they've found something they don't quite understand and would like us to take a look at it. You're one of the professionals, so the Commander has ordered myself and you to rendezvous at the airport and then be flown to the site via JSAF VTOL."_

"Well, can't say I blame them, can't risk these things. But I've got the kids here-"

" _The Commander has already stationed four Section 2 agents outside the sports facility. Nothing can touch them."_

By the Spirits, that man watches everything we do.

"Alright, on my way. Just need a few minutes to tell them what's happening."

" _Good, see you soon, Lieutenant Colonel."_ The connection cut.

Misato looked back down on the pool, and the four children "mucking about" in it, feeling her heart pang.

 _No, it's probably nothing. Just some overcautious scientist jumping at shadows...but if it's not...damn it, I had hoped you could just have a day of peace and quiet..._

* * *

Shinji tried to fight the cold chill running through his spine as he watched Misato disappear from sight.

 _Being called out like that...it's got be a Seraph...it's got to be._

He tried to put it out of his mind, tried to focus on his work, but to no avail. The sound of his colleagues enjoying the tantalizingly cool water made his shoulders slump.

"Fuck this." He saved his work, shut down the portable computer, shoved it back in his bag, slung said bag over his shoulder then walked off to the changing rooms.

* * *

Samuel happily relaxed in the shallow end, leaning against the side with the water coming up to his chin. Having adjusted to the sudden cold after being unceremoniously pushed in, the boy now felt quite peaceful. From his vantage point, he watched the other two girls cut through the water with ease.

Whilst he wasn't incompetent at swimming, Samuel was no professional. His capability at it could be summed up as "flailing in a reasonably coherent manner." Of course, Asuka insisted on treating everything like a competition which only she could win, and Rei...considering whatever NERV had put her through, it only made sense she was a strong swimmer.

 _Still going after fifteen minutes straight...oh bloody hell, Asuka_ He groaned slightly.

The redhead, clearly noticing the albino's capability, had been trying to keep up with her. Which, considering she was not genetically engineered to be stronger than the average human being, was a bit out of the question for Asuka. She'd paused at the halfway point, panting a little bit and glowering at the unceasing Rei.

The Imperial sighed and struck out to join her. Ten seconds later, he was at the side with her, his eyebrow raised.

"What?" She asked, annoyed.

"I personally think Rei is more interested in enjoying herself than besting you. Why don't you just...I don't know, enjoy swimming?" Samuel offered.

Asuka huffed and looked away. They stayed like this for a while, in silence. Understanding that his friend didn't want to talk about it, the Imperial decided to change the conversation.

"Hang on...where's Shinji got off to?" He said curiously, having noticed the empty seat and table.

"Probably somewhere to blush about seeing someone as beautiful as me so scantily clad-" Asuka said cockily, her spirits lifting, before a great cry of exhilaration cut her off and a sudden explosion of water not too far away caused waves to splash on her. Unfortunately, having taken Samuel by surprise, some of it did go into his face.

" **Ah, ah, ah, eyes! My eyes! Oh god it stings!"** He shrieked, as Asuka desperately tried to get him to calm down.

"Don't rub them with your hands, you've got chlorine on them as well." She chastised. Almost immediately afterwords, Shinji's head popped up from beneath the water, his eyes closed but expression more relaxed than the redhead had ever seen. Sighing in pleasure, the Japanese boy blinked away the droplets of water and now noticed the result of his "bombing run."

"Oh...sorry..." Shinji sheepishly smiled, whilst Asuka stared at him and Samuel flailed around a bit more.

"Stupid Shinji." The German girl shook her head despairingly, a very small smile forming on her lips.

* * *

 _1:00pm, en-route to Asama monitoring station._

The flight out had been mercifully short. Whilst it did not affect her nearly as bad as Shinji, Misato certainly didn't enjoy flying. There was just something nice about having one's feet on the ground and nowhere else. Although she was in good company however, what with Ritsuko and Maya being crammed onboard with her. The two scientists were busying themselves with their touchscreen pads.

"Not that I have a problem with you being here, Lieutenant, but..." Misato was saying, stopping as Ritsuko raised her hand.

"Lieutenant Ibuki's ability at reading energy levels is second only to my own. Figured it would be wise to get another professional opinion." Despite saying it so nonchalantly, Maya blushed at the praise.

"Um...thank you, Sub Commander..." She mumbled.

"Hmm...well, if our worst suspicions are realized and it is a Seraph, then what in Spirits' name is it doing there?"

"Who knows, who cares. Perhaps we could cause an eruption and fry that bastard to a crisp." Misato said dismissively.

"That would be nice. But if that was the case, then we wouldn't need Evangelions." The faux blonde said humourlessly.

They arrived a matter of minutes later, the head of the station coming out to greet them in a white lab coat.

"Doctor Takeo Shiza, at your service." He said eagerly, shaking their hands. He was a bespectacled man in his late forties, strands of grey already being present on his brown hair. Although his blue eyes shone with intelligence and childish enthusiasm. This couldn't help but make the usually stern Sub Commander of Section 4 smile.

 _It's nice to see someone enjoy their work. I wonder, could I have just been some nobody in the scientific community studying volcanoes?_

That proposition didn't actually sound that bad to her ears.

"What's all this about, Shiza-san?" Misato said in a military like manner as they were escorted into the main facility, eventually arriving at a row of scientists working on their computers, fingers hammering away on touchscreens.

"We found something...and we haven't got any idea what it is..." He murmured uncomfortably, then gestured at his staff to bring up whatever they'd found on the main monitor.

"We'd sent down one of our drones, and we just found **this**." Takeo said, still not believing what he'd seen.

The NERV personnel stiffened. The image in front of them was freakish in nature, bearing a vague resemblance to a human fetus except slightly more reptilian. A single bulging eye appeared to be staring at them.

"May we access your consoles?" Ritsuko inquired.

"Of course, go ahead." The elder scientist quickly stepped aside.

"Thank you. Lieutenant, get your equations in..."

Misato didn't pay much attention to what else was said, choosing to instead glower at this creature.

 _Why are we even bothering? It's a Seraph. What else could it be?_

"Not getting too much, but it's looking like..." Maya's brown eyes widened as the being's eye flared and the monitor went static.

"Blue signature. It's a blue signature." The young woman said grimly and fearfully.

The Sub Commander of Section 3 had already pulled out her phone and was dialling a specific number she didn't often like dialling. She held it to her ear for a few moments until the connection was made.

" _Katsuragi. What is it?"_ Said the gravelly voice of Gendo Ikari.

"Sir, I'm on site at Mount Asama and can confirm it's a code blue. Requesting tactical deployment of all Evangelion Units." Misato relayed.

" _I see, request granted. What is the current status of the enemy?"_

"It seems to be in some sort of hibernation or incubation, sir. Should be simple enough to kill it."

" _No. I want it alive."_

Misato had to gulp down her outburst at that, knowing how little the Supreme Commander tolerated such things.

"Yes, sir."

" _Remove the current scientific team. We shall notify the JSA. That is all."_

The line went dead. She put the phone away.

"As of this moment, this site falls entirely under the jurisdiction of NERV. All civilian personnel are to be evacuated without question, do I make myself clear." She directed at the hapless staff.

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel." Takeo nodded, then gestured for his staff to follow him out.

Misato walked over to Maya and Ritsuko with a controlled but not serious expression.

"The Commander is already deploying our boys and girls here, the Evas won't be far behind. I need you two to take charge of monitoring this thing. Any change of circumstances, and you report directly to me." She said.

"Understood." They both nodded.

Satisfied, the purplehead went back outside for a breath of fresh air and a proper look at the mountain. For a moment, she stood there, before a satisfied yet unnerving grin spread on her lips.

 _Catching one in its cradle...I hope it screams more than a normal baby. Pity we have to take it alive._

If only the forces of NERV could have known what they were about to get into. They had fallen into the trap of Rogziel, and would soon discover the might of the _Geutol_ race in all its true glory.

* * *

 _ **Until next time, my dear readers. :)**_


	45. 11:3 Magma Diver

_1:45 pm, NERV Central, Commander's Office_

The four of them stood, plugsuited and backs straight, before NERV's Vice and Supreme Commander. It had only been half an hour before that the four teenagers had been enjoying their swim, only to be roughly called out of the pool by Section 2 agents who'd barged past the security of the place.

Shinji's blood boiled being under the gaze of this man again. They hadn't exchanged a word since the day he arrived and the Seraph war began. Since then, the boy's enmity had only been enhanced through his father's disregard for him, and his lack of care for Rei. He could only imagine how little Gendo Ikari regarded the safety of his subordinates, and that frightened him.

 _How many of us are, "expendable?"_

"I have called you here to serve a purpose. We have identified a blue signature in Mount Asama itself." The Supreme Commander said, a hologram flickering into life on the floor between him and the Pilots, some twenty feet in distance. The hollow image of the volcano, within which resided a bizarre creature, provided dim light for the dismal room.

"Shouldn't be too much trouble. Just destroy the volcano and that'll either kill it or bring it out into the open-" Samuel was saying before Gendo's gaze fixed itself upon him.

"Do not interrupt me." His said so plainly it was threatening.

"Very well, sir." The Imperial acknowledged, hiding amusement.

 _Oh? What's this? A General who doesn't like other opinions...that won't get you anywhere good, old man._

"I desire this specimen to be recovered alive. There is much we can learn from this situation. One of you will be lowered into the mountain to recover it, whilst the rest remain on standby." Gendo continued. Shinji lost control of his expression and scowled.

"So you want to lower one of us into an **active volcano** and try to pull out this thing, we aren't even sure is actually hibernating? That's a suicide mission." Father and son looked at each other, neither willing to back down.

 _I don't want to see any of them die for your science project._ Shinji inwardly snarled.

"Oh come on, Third. A-T fields can handle magma, it'll be a walk in the park for me." Asuka said with a cocky grin.

"I presume we have a volunteer for extraction?" Kozo asked, faintly bemused.

"Yes you do. Don't worry, Commander, I won't let you down."

"Soryu-san..." Shinji hissed.

"Can it, dummkopf. I can do this." She glared daggers back at him, crushing any retort, completely ignoring Samuel's look of concern or Rei's inquisitive expression.

 _To be lowered into magma...to retrieve a live monster...that is not a mission I would like to take. If I die, I can be replaced...but I'd rather it not happen that way._

Gendo did not move, or even nod. He just spoke in his lifeless monotone.

"Satisfactory. Cranes are already in position, you will be deployed immediately."

"Good luck." Kozo added, with much more humanity than his superior could ever manage.

The children all acknowledged this with their own culture's equivalents of "yes, sir" then filed out of the office.

* * *

NERV's lifts lead to everywhere in Tokyo-3 and its surroundings. But for further afield, they would have been in trouble were it not for the confiscation of the "Rapid Homeland Defence System." Over the years, the organization had wisely adapted it for Evangelion deployment to other parts of the country if needs be. However, it would still take a good hour for them to reach their destination.

In that time, most people would talk to one another about the upcoming mission or try to lift the mood. The four Pilots remained quiet however, the time going by agonizingly slowly. The bravado of the western Pilots was not as present as it was in that first engagement with the 8th Seraph. Clearly, to Shinji's slight amusement and relief, the eldritch abominations had knocked a good bit of "reality" into their heads. This, the 9th Seraph, was going to be handled in a far more professional manner. _  
_  
Nevertheless, Asuka and Samuel looked childishly bored, totally untroubled by what they were about to deal with, whilst Shinji only just managed to control his breathing. Meanwhile, Rei, the infallible rock of serenity in a sea of chaos, had leaned back in her seat with a blank expression.

"So..." Samuel said, tiring of the silence.

"What?" Asuka responded.

"Quite remarkable, all this, isn't it? An underground system that runs from one end of the country to the other...I'd always heard Japanese technology was good but I didn't know they were fine engineers."

"...you're literally part of an operation involving giant metal monsters being sent to destroy an enemy that can waste cities, all heralding from a city with skyscrapers that can lower themselves into the ground, and an oversized Leopard Underground is what's got your attention?"

"I don't know...it just reminds one of home a little bit."

"I think it's impressive too. Which makes it even more of a shame that NERV stole it." Shinji grumbled. This was Japanese engineering, built on Japanese blood, sweat and tears, to protect the Japanese nation. What right did his father have to shove a UN requisition order into Parliament's face and snatch it away?

Oh well. At least he did it

 _ **after**_ _the war was over...it's strange to think. I thought Fukuyama would be it, that I'd never see the like again. Now I'm here, in the front line of a war against demi-god abominations, in a machine that makes me feel pain. Will the universe ever stop making my life a joke?_

"The needs of NERV outweighed those of the Japanese State." Rei put bluntly. Her brother inwardly seethed, but didn't start a disagreement. As a non confrontational person to begin with, he knew he wouldn't change her mind. Not if that had been hammered in by his sperm donor.

"Right. Because the JSA wouldn't have loaned it to you if you needed it...smells like a bloody power grab." Samuel said with disapproval. Despite not making any sign of agreement, Asuka agreed with that. After all, one who could navigate the court of the Reich and steer well clear of intrigue, was not the worst judge of character.

What a control freak. And to think...if he doesn't deem me "satisfactory"...

The girl suppressed a scowl.

 _ **No**_ _. I trained for this, for most of my life. I gave up everything to prove I am the best, I am an Eva pilot elite. And the world will see that._

Taking her mind off such things, her mind drifted back to the great balls of New Windsor and Sanssouci she'd attended. The freckled girl had always stood out, gaining looks and sniggers from the other effete nobles who dressed in frilly ball gowns whilst she remained in her beloved yellow sundress. In the end, Asuka had the last laugh, as they'd all swelter under those many layers and have difficulty moving around whilst she remained beautiful and free. _  
_  
But it wasn't like she hated high society functions. With her sole dance partner, they actually became quite enjoyable. Of course, there was the side effect of everyone thinking she and Samuel where "an item", but it wasn't too much of a fuss.

Hang on...he's not my only dance partner any more, is he?

She cast a quick look at Shinji.

Well...he hasn't stepped on my foot so far.

"Soryu-san...are you sure about this?" Shinji said with concern. Clearly he was still uneasy over her volunteering for this dangerous mission.

"Absolutely. Can't pass up an opportunity to show you all who's the best here." She grinned, eliciting a deep sigh from the boy.

"Alright. But if the tiniest thing goes wrong, or you feel you can't handle it, **you bug out**. Got that?"

"Not sure whether or not to be offended or touched, Third. I don't think anyone's ever managed that before." Asuka arrogantly shrugged him off, knowing her boasting was entirely justified in this situation. She had the best Unit, the most training, and the most aptitude for Piloting. Not once did she consider these things anything other than facts.

"One of the easiest things in the world to do is offend you, Asuka..." Samuel chucked.

"Shut up, Sam." She growled.

Rei observed the exchange between her colleagues with a strange feeling. Amusement was new to her, but she wasn't troubled by it.

 _Unit cohesion leaves much to be desired. I fear something may go terribly wrong...but the true question is, why do I find that "entertaining." It is almost like a...train wreck in slow motion. An event so terrible yet one can't look away._

* * *

 _3:00pm, Mount Asama research station_

Misato stood before the facility's main monitor with folded arms. She couldn't get a proper tactical display, but the JSA had been kind enough to provide a drone and vid link with which she could observe the overall operation and movements of her troops. The vid links of the four Evas had been linked into the monitor, with the external cameras of Evangelion Unit 02 being given room as well.

A great deal of information to take in, but the purplehead was a competent soldier. It was not beyond her capability.

Along with the Evas and about fifty other NERV staff, the Sub Commander of Section 3 had been loaned an entire JSA Infantry division, specifically the 40th, two Tank battalions from the 2nd Armoured division, which had been used to fill the holes left by the devastation of the 1st at the hands of Sachiel, and an Orochi class FCV.

Whilst not as impressive as the Susanoos, the battleships of the air fleet, Orochi's were still impressive and well armed for their smaller size of being a hundred metres in length. The term, "flying Destroyer" suited them well.

As the FCV was becoming more commonplace, they were starting to be treated less as super weapons and more as important components of a modern military. Hence the need for air fleets across the world to enlarge and diversify, build ships with more specialized roles. For example, the Orochi was to become the scout and screening vessel of the Japanese Air Fleet, to supplement the jack of all trades Susanoo. And of course, the class of ships being built in secret that few knew of, the Amaterasu class carriers.

Misato was impressed by how quickly her countrymen had adapted to the modern age. Whilst the Empire was more interested in flash and firepower, the Federation in compactness and technological superiority, the Communists in mass production, her people were already building the first dedicated carrier class FCV. Ingenuity and adaptability like that would win Japan dominion over the Pacific.

Pushing such thoughts from her mind, of delightful glee at the wretched Tokuajin being utterly at their mercy, the thirty year old woman focused on the dispositions of her troops.

Unit 02 was already being attached to the vast cranes in place around Asama's crater, and its Pilot was looking impatient and eager to get on with it. The other three were deployed some three miles from the volcano, all equipped with pallet rifles and standing in a line just five hundred metres ahead of the massed regiments and tanks of the JSA. Every single gun was levelled on mount Asama.

Directly above, ready to rain down fire, the HIMS Fuso maintained a stationary yet alert position.

As to be expected of the trained professionals who crewed her.

 _Let's not lose them like we lost the Tsushima or the 1st Division. Thousands of good lives lost...fucking Seraphim._

The sound of chuckling broke Misato out of her moment of thought.

"What is it, Rits-chan?" She met her friend's mirth with a confused yet genuine smile.

"Sorry...it's just, if we turned back the clocks a few years, Soryu-san would not nearly be so eager to go down there." The faux blonde shook her head at the large image of the huffing redhead.

"Why?"

"Don't you remember? Back then A-T fields weren't quite as powerful so we'd have to provide extra protection."

"Oh...oh! You mean the D-type equipment? And the inflation suit?"

"The very ones."

Both women sniggered at the thought of the proud German girl having to hobble around in that bulbous and cumbersome suit, and her Eva doing the same in that bulbous and cumbersome armour. Back then, there would have been a very real risk of the Pilot suffering serious sympathetic injuries in such an operation as this, or the Eva not being able to stand the environment.

Of course, they'd come a fair way since then. Now their battery life could last half an hour without cables at normal power, fifteen at maximum, and two hours on basic. It truly was amazing how quickly technology progressed, from clunky keyboards and bulky computers in 1999, to the touchscreen freaks of nature that could recognize your fingerprint as an access code.

"Unit 02 is attached and ready to begin deployment, Lieutenant Colonel." Makato reported, having been shipped out here scarcely half an hour ago.

Misato's mirth faded away, her jaw setting itself hard as rock.

 _Let's do this._

Marching back over to the main monitor, she pushed a glyph which brought up comms with her Pilots.

"We're ready to begin the operation. What about you?"

A series of " _affirmatives"_ satisfied her.

"Good, although I must say, not everyone volunteers to jump head first into a live volcano, Asuka-san." She directed out the redhead, who pouted.

" _Seems like a lot of people are wusses."_ Asuka said dismissively.

" _Misato-san, I have a question."_ Shinji waited patiently for the two to finish what they were saying before speaking. Anything else would have been impolite.

"Shoot, Shinji-kun." The purplhead acknowledged.

" _Why is there an FCV above us?"_

Misato grimaced, having not entirely filled them in on that yet.

"That...is there to carpet bomb the mountain if anything goes wrong...Commander's orders..."

"Even if I'm inside it?" Asuka said, blatantly annoyed over the issue. As if death was a massive inconvenience for her. The purplehead nodded.

Shinji's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish for a while, as Samuel piped up looking slightly alarmed.

"Th-th-that will be a last resort...surely..." The Imperial stammered.

"I'll be fine, Samuel. Besides, if I'm going to go out...might as well be in style." The German girl relaxed into her seat, accepting the sheer danger of the situation and getting on with it. Misato couldn't be more impressed by these kids, considering what was constantly asked of them.

 _Yeah, I've got nothing to worry about. They can take care of themselves quite handily._

"A last resort, if it comes to that." She said reassuringly, before barking at her staff.

"Begin the operation!"

* * *

 _3:15pm, Mount Asama main vent_

Asuka put all her effort into the maintenance of her A-T field as she was slowly lowered into the fires of the furious mountain. Whilst the cranes where an annoyance, she was aware she couldn't do it without them. Unlike the battle with the 7th Seraph, she couldn't risk readjusting her field and allow one area to become vulnerable. Evangelion armour was tough, but nothing could survive prolonged exposure to magma without protection.

Nevertheless, the German girl was already feeling droplets of perspiration sliver down the back of her neck, either through heat or concentration. Not at all helped by the tight, heat trapping plug suit. This was not the warmth of her plug, but the humid, burning, unpleasant sort of hotness she'd had to adjust to since she'd arrived in this country.

Asuka surveyed her surroundings, knowing her hud would pick up the enemy long before ordinary eyes would. Bizarre really, considering how her eyes were directly linked to those of the Eva, and therefore enhanced. Even then...in this sea of yellow and red, technology was more of an ally than ever before.

Deathly silence reigned within that confined cockpit, and in Misato's temporary command centre, as the depth of the Eva was being reported routinely by Makoto. It was tense for her, but only because Asuka wanted to get on with this, not at all out of any fear of failure.

 _I am the best, I can't fail._

" _You should be reaching target area in a few seconds. Get ready."_ Came her commanding officer's order.

Asuka nodded, trying to take her mind off how slick and sweaty her body was feeling. However, as it was so deeply unpleasant, she couldn't. And now the redhead was beginning to smell.

 _Come on you bastard, show up and don't make any complaints._

" _Reaching target depth in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1-"_

The redhead braced and prepared to attack, just in case her enemy wasn't sleeping any more. But nothing happened.

She looked around for a few moments, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"What?" She said, annoyed and baffled.

" _I don't know, Asuka-san. Damn, its moved."_ Misato growled.

"What now, Lieutenant Colonel?" Makoto asked.

"Continue to lower her. We have to get this thing."

" _Misato-san, something isn't right about all this..."_ Shinji cut in over the comms, his tone nervous and alert.

" _Yes...I'm not often in agreement with him, but today I am. Let's not chance this."_ Samuel added, much to his male Japanese counterpart's surprise.

"Oh for Gott's sake, stop worrying. I've got this under control, keep on going, Misato." Asuka cut them off, indignant at people trying to rob her of rightfully earned glory. Although...it wasn't exactly unwelcome to hear people be concerned about her.

" _If...if you're sure..."_

"I'm fine, Sam."

The cranes continued to lower her further and further into Mount Asama, the girl becoming slightly impressed by the sheer size of it. She'd seen pictures of volcano structures when she was little, as most children had, but even then Asuka couldn't have fathomed how large it was.

Impression turned to irritation. She didn't like being made to feel small.

* * *

 _Some miles away from Mount Asama_

It was so strange. For him to be sat this far away from actual danger, close to other Evangelions and a massive military formation, yet to feel every bit as anxious as he'd been when facing the 5th Seraph. The enemy which had come closest to killing him stone dead, and...quite nearly...took Rei from him.

In his consortium of nightmares, that one was the worst. Of pulling Unit 00's hatch open, only to find the calcified remnants of his sister, ruined face contorted in a silent scream, the only identifiable trace of her being a strand of blue hair. The first night that particular dream came to him, he'd woken in a cold sweat and vomited. Fortunately that evening, Misato was completely out for the count so he could clear up his mess without drawing attention. _  
_  
Oh the beatings teacher would give him for getting the carpet dirty. _  
_  
Shinji forced his hand to clench the control stick, trying to rid it of his pathetic tremors. He took a deep breath, and focused on his, admittedly beautiful, surroundings. Mount Asama looked regal as ever, complementing the clear blue sky. The great forests, as were so common for inner Japan, were dotted all over the flat plains and occasional rolling hills. _  
_  
That took his attention off horrible things, such as thoughts of the redhead he'd just met being lost to the mountain. It wasn't right she'd been sent by herself against this enemy he knew to be more cunning than anyone else would accept. Of course, he'd probably overestimated their intelligence, as Shinji thought he was wrong on many things, but even then...a tiger was not as smart as a person, but could still deceive. _  
_  
Speaking of which, his enhanced eyes caught a glimpse of orange and black striped movement some ten miles away. It had slunk back off into the trees, but the Japanese Tiger had been there. Honestly, it defied all belief how well these creatures, once kept in zoos before Second Impact, escaping in the chaos, had adapted. Siberian Tigers they were once called, now having their names changed to suit their habitat. Regretfully Japan's indigenous wildlife hadn't done well out of this, the Serows among them. Perhaps the only native creatures which had not just survived but thrived were the Ussuri Bears of Hokkaido. Saved from Second Impact by the mountains, and shielded from the wars by the sheer isolated nature of the island, the massive hairy monsters had continued to raid unfortunate rubbish bins, and make the occasional unwary cyclist or hiker go missing.

 _Stupid people...don't know why anyone would want to live in Hokkaido. That place is a frontier if I've ever seen it, and the locals...damn..._

The majority of that Island's male population where soldiers of the JSA. Half a million men out of a population of two and a half million. One in five. The Hokkaidan infantry regiments were among the best in the army, and they manned the infamous "Northern Defence Line." Bunker after bunker, fortification after fortification, barbed wire, and mine fields stretched across the near entirety of the Island's northern shore. Whilst not as advanced as Capital Defence Line 1 was, it was still something no foreign force could conceivably break through in a hurry.

 _Aside from the Seraphim. Fuck those things, if only it weren't for those stupid A-T fields we could bring them down, no problem!_

 _"Um...Shinji?"_ Samuel said, his expression looking confused on the vid link, as his eyes squinted.

"Yes, Meadow-san?" Shinji blinked out of his thoughtful state.

 _"Unless my eyes deceive me...is that a Tiger?"_

"Yes, it is. Quite impressive, aren't they?"

 _"Certainly. Blimey, the BBC weren't joking when they said they were thriving here."_

 _"Indeed. Nationwide, numbers are meant to be approximately five hundred and rising."_ Rei added, feeling the "lights" of multiple big cats roaming the local area. It was not for nothing inhabitants of the inner prefectures had firearms in abundance these days.

The young albino had found herself analysing everything about her surroundings. She'd never left Tokyo-3 before, aside from going out to greet Meadow and Soryu, even then only seeing the vague outline of mountains in the distance. But here...it was all so clear. The sky, the thin clouds, the birds, the beasts, the forests, the mountains...now she felt something akin to a "connection" to her birthplace.

 _Though this world may be one of suffering, this view is aesthetically pleasing beyond measure._

Her hud started flashing. Asuka squinted into the solid wall of redness around her. The outline was vague, intensely vague, but she could see it.  
 _ **  
"**_ Misato, am I seeing-" The freckled girl began before being cut off.

" _The energy signature is right. That's our Seraph, get it."_ Her superior ordered.

 _Finally!_ _ **  
**_  
A few moments later, Unit 02 had been lowered on top of its target. Asuka had struggled to understand what was before her for a second or two, but pushed past it. The human embryo like creature seemed encased in some sort of amber shell, unmoving and frozen in time.

"That just makes this easy..." The girl smiled, signalling up above to send down their "cage."

The science of that thing fascinated Asuka. It was a series of iron bars that fit together and formed a hollow cuboid around its prisoner. It would then activate and seal the gaps with walls of energy which emitted an inward electromagnetic pulse. Hypothetically, enough to cripple but not kill the Seraph. _ **  
**_  
Speaking of which, the monster still wasn't moving. So deep in hibernation, it seemed oblivious to its incoming demise. Not that Asuka was fussed about this, but...it would surely have to notice sometime?

"This is too easy...Misato, something isn't right down here?" She said, warily.

" _Don't worry, just get the cage attached. It's in hibernation, it can't do anything."_

" _What do you mean, "something's not right?"_ Samuel cut in, worry etched into his tone.

"I don't know. This just doesn't feel right at all."

" _What's the Seraph doing?"_ Shinji asked.

"Nothing, it's just sitting there..."

" _Misato-san, get her out."_

" _Shinji-kun..."_ The purplehead chastised.

" _You know this isn't normal Seraph behaviour!"_

"All of you pipe down! Gott, you're giving me a headache-"

The lone eye of the "hibernating" Seraph, swivelled and **fixed** on her.

"Oh schiesse."

 ** _You are mine, Vooren._**

The casing cracked open, shattering the cage, as the embryo transformed into something else entirely. Flattening out, eyes bulging on top of stalks, long fins extending from its rear, the Seraph assumed its attack form. To Asuka, it looked like a giant, fat, Anomalocaris with sharp arms, a creature of the cambrian period.

It had been a long wait down here, but not unenjoyable. The heat of the mountain had been comforting, and yet the Heir's blood had boiled in inaction. The desire to wreak violence and vengeance upon the enemies of his people, the slayers of his kin, was nearly too much. But the thought of hauling one of these creatures back to his Sovereign's throne, was too much to resist.

The Vooren contraption had already pushed away, and was being pulled back up to the surface as fast as it could. Rogziel jettisoned off out of sight, circling his prey with vicious delight. The enemy was afraid, and they had exceptionally good reason to be. Although...he wasn't quite right in that respect.

" **Ficking bastard! How dare you try to sneak up on me like that you verdammt coward!"** Asuka snarled.

As much as she wished to engage and rip the enemy apart personally, the redhead knew she was in no condition to fight at this moment. Right now, she needed to focus on her A-T field and not let her armour melt.

 _Still getting pretty hot in here._

Far above and away from the volcano, Misato and her colleagues were already being evacuated to the Fuso via JSAF VTOL. The mere presence of an active and angry Seraph had compromised the entire area. As much as Ritsuko had moaned at the loss of her cage, she'd still left in no less of a hurry than the rest of them.

Misato had already given orders for Asuka to rip herself free of the cranes once she reached the surface, clear the area, and regroup with the other Evas as the FCV would commence bombardment. Until they reached the vessel however, the redhead would be entirely cut off from command. But she could still communicate with the other pilots.

* * *

 _Damn it, damn it, damn it,_ _ **damn it!**_

Shinji was beside himself. Although he didn't know Asuka too well, he still lived with her. And despite how on the nose, temperamental, and rude she could be, he certainly didn't dislike her. And now the girl had been put in mortal danger for his father's curiosity.

 _Seraphim are not science projects to be studied. They're forces of nature to stop before they kill everything._

* * *

She'd reach the surface soon. She wouldn't have to worry about being melted by the insane temperatures of the volcano's magma, or being murdered by a Seraph in a position which she was helpless. Asuka hated that feeling, to her very core. Hated it enough to forgo the glory of getting a kill and instead get to safety. Besides, if the JSA failed to handle this, and they probably would, the redhead would still get her chance.

Her hud flashed, alert signatures popping up all over it. The vague silhouette of the Seraph appeared in the distance, racing towards her.

 _ **Going somewhere?**_

"Nein...nein, **fick aus**!" She shrieked, anger seeping into her young tone. Asuka wanted to kill this thing very badly, but she couldn't like this.

" _Asuka! What's happening, Asuka!"_ Panic had taken control of Samuel as he desperately tried to get a response. Though it was comforting to hear the concern, to know she mattered to someone, Asuka didn't respond. If she wanted to stay alive, she had to focus on the here and now.

The Seraph was upon her, mandibles and arms opening up. The redhead roared in defiance before it impacted Unit 02. Rogziel struck with such force that the black Eva was slammed against the inner walls of the mountain. Asuka savagely slammed her head against the metal headrest of her cockpit, stars obscuring her vision.

She expected to feel a tearing sensation, as the Seraph ripped into her now helpless guts. Or the intense burning as it neutralised her A-T field. But that didn't happen, for instead Rogziel enveloped her field with his own, and clamped his mandibles around Unit 02's metal neck.

 _ **There will be no escape, Vooren. For your own sake, answer any question the Fist gives you. If not...well...perhaps Arael shall have a bit of fun.**_

As much as the idea of what his brother could do made him feel ill, Rogziel took no issue with inflicting physical harm on his foes. Not to the extent of Shamshel, who would metaphorically bathe himself in the blood of men, women, and children alike, but still sadistic nonetheless.

He'd pin this devil in place, cut its strings, then drag it back to his father's feet. This would be the first triumph of their ultimately victorious war.

"I can't...I can't..." She was passing out, Asuka knew it. Her link with Unit 02 was so great, she could feel her throat being crushed. Her vision was hazy and her brain was not operating as it should, despite how much she raged against it. The faint to her ears cries of Shinji and Samuel made her wince in a little guilt for putting them through this. Misato had made it all sound so easy...but it seemed the soft eyed idiot was right. The Seraphim were far away from dumb animals. The proof was in the pudding with how they'd acted in her engagements against them, and those before her. Tactical and...intelligent.

Now she'd learn the hard way for underestimating them.

 _Sorry guys._ She started blacking out. An image of a beautiful woman with blonde hair and her eyes laughing floated through her mind, eliciting a smile. And then, a greying middle aged man walking through his beautiful gardens caused the freckled girl to sigh.

 _Vergib mir, Vater._ Her subconscious involuntarily muttered.

* * *

"Oh to hell with it." Shinji hissed, discarding his rifle and urging his control sticks forward. Unit 01 obeyed instantly, thundering towards the mountain at full pelt.

 _"Where are you going?"_ Samuel called after him.

"Those cranes are not going to take the weight of an Eva and a Seraph. We've got to get her out the hard way."

 _"Ah...yes...yes, I think I see what you're getting at. On my way!"_ Unit 03 dropped his weapon and broke formation, the lighter Evangelion soon catching up with its purple counterpart. Meanwhile, Rei remained where she was, unsure of what to do, or of what Shinji was doing.

She had no orders, and there appeared to be no instant need for her to act without them.

 _Ikari-kun is not in danger._

" _Ayanami-san, report! What the hell's happening!?"_ Misato appeared on vid link, now aboard the bridge of the Fuso.

"Soryu-san seems unable to escape the enemy. Ikari-kun and Meadow-san are moving to assist." The albino replied, nonchalantly.

" _Moving to assist? How are they...oh for fuck's sake...they're going to pull her out themselves. Stupid boys!"_

"Lieutenant Colonel? I do not understand."

" _Look, just move to support them. They've got a heavy load to pull out so an extra pair of hands will be invaluable. We can't raise Asuka-san, so something must be going very wrong."_

"Understood. Following your orders, Lieutenant Colonel."

Rei moved after the other two Evangelions, keeping her pallet rifle in hand.

* * *

Shinji had already reached the mouth of the volcano, wincing inside upon seeing the cranes creak, groan, and **bend** under the stress of some immense and terrible weight. Some had already broken, and the two remaining ones were at the cusp of snapping.

 _It's trying pull her down...why is it wasting time on that?_

What was up with the enemy of late? The random, vicious, tidal wave like attacks as had been experienced with the first three had stopped. Not that he'd ever doubted there was some sense of intelligence in the creatures, looking into the eyes of the 4th Seraph as it sought to collapse his head had taught him such. But now...this was tactical. Trying to get them at sea, surprise and numbers, and now what could only be described as a **trap**.

 _Why does everyone insist on thinking they are dumb animals!? If they are, what does that make us for falling for their tricks half the time?_

Samuel was seconds behind him, the Imperial pilot widening his eyes in alarm at seeing the slowly breaking cranes.

"Meadow-san, I need you to take hold of the least damaged crane. Don't let go for anything." Shinji gestured at one of the cranes, the largest one. Still standing strong somehow.

"Are you giving me orders?" On instinct, anger welled up inside the Imperial.

 _Britain has been talked down to by the world for long enough! No other shall command our destiny than us!_

"Just do it." The meek Japanese boy's words became harsh, giving Samuel indication this was not up for debate. Besides, the blonde boy wouldn't have resisted for long. His best and only friend was down there, sod the pride of the Empire.

"Very well. Are you going to help me with this?" The navy blue Eva had firmly grasped the crane and was looking at him with its single cyclopsian eye.

"No. If we pull too hard, the cable might snap...we've got to get that thing off her..." Shinji grimaced, gazing at the bubbling magma.

"You aren't seriously considering-"

"We don't have a choice."

"Look, Shinji, I'm better at controlling my decent in liquid. You're in the stronger Unit so why don't you hold this?"

"And your Unit isn't as robust as mine...do me a favour, Meadow-san."

"No promises, but I'm listening."

"Don't let go."

"As long as you aren't too fat."

Both boys, in that moment, laughed at the simple joke. These two children of very different nations, one of an expansionist Empire, the other of a staunchly defensive military junta, had just engaged in perfectly reasonable discussion. Perhaps...breaking the ice with each other whilst they were at it.

Shinji inhaled deeply, braced himself for the heat, grasped one of the many thick cables, and jumped in. The crane almost went immediately, Samuel having to dig his feet into the ground and feel his muscles strain.

"God, you are fat!"

* * *

 _Don't let go._

Asuka's eyes flickered. On the cusp of being enveloped by blackness, her vision remained blurry but unfailing. Strength flowed into her body, as if from nowhere. The warmth and comfort of her Eva increased beyond reckoning. **  
**  
 _Don't let go._ **  
**  
Her eyesight fully returned, along with awareness. The Seraph was directly in front of her, thinking it had finished containing and ensnaring her. Now, slowly, Asuka could see one of those sharp limbs move upwards to cut the cable upon which she so perilously dangled. A moment, one of utmost opportunity had just been handed to the redhead by lady luck herself, and she would not reject her. **  
**  
 _Thank Gott for my subconscious. Never thought hearing voices in my head would be useful._ **  
**  
Had there been time, Asuka may have pondered with some alarm the meaning of this. Voices in one's head were not usually a stellar indication of one's sanity. But after all the freckled girl had been through...it was hardly surprising. **  
**  
But there was no time.

 _ **What do you think? One swift cut or a strand at a time?**_ Rogziel directed gleefully at his "prize." He was not one for enjoying making people feel helpless, but today, especially for these creatures, he'd indulge his darker side.

And then that big black head thrust forward, slamming into his own with intense velocity. Something cracked and the Heir recoiled in pain and shock. But his mandibles were so firmly clasped around the throat of the enemy, he could not pull away quick enough. In a flash, Asuka had whipped out both her prog knives.

"I'm not dying here, bastard!"

The freckled girl roared, commencing her brief but brutal assault. Being inside the Seraph's A-T field, she was not only protected from the heat, but could assault at will without mercy. Her right blade stabbed downwards into the creature's left eye. Her left blade, slashed away its mandibles, freeing both herself and the Seraph, the latter of which recoiled and span away into the murk screaming. But not before it got a good slash at the cable. **  
**  
Asuka froze, hearing those chords be cut, and the rest straining and creaking under the weight. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck. **  
**  
One snap followed another. **  
**  
 _Oh...looks like I'm dying here after all._ She sighed. **  
**  
There was a dreadful snap...then a sudden jolt. **  
**  
No falling sensation, nothing. Slowly, Asuka looked upwards to see a purple hand grasp her cable. Unit 01's white gaze was fixed upon her. **  
**  
The redhead smiled a small smile.

"Dummkopf. Can't just go throwing yourself after girls like that."

So close to each other, the Evas could establish a firm connection through radio. Having already done this, Shinji heard that and responded.

" _Just fancied a swim, Soryu-san. Enjoying the hot water?"_ There was pain in his tone. Unused to this sort of deployment, Shinji wasn't capable of shielding himself from the heat. Asuka felt a pang of guilt over that, but decided to humour him. Besides, Shinji Ikari came off as the sort of person who didn't like being pitied or having his nose wiped. Probably because he didn't enjoy being a burden to anyone.

She could respect that.

"Can't say I rate it, Shinji. I don't think I'll be coming back here." She relaxed into her seat as she felt herself be pulled upwards.

" _Heh, nothing fazes you, does it?"_

"Not in the slightest, Third. Now pull quicker, it's too hot down here."

* * *

 **"** Bugger me that's heavy." Samuel hissed, feeling his muscles cry out in agony at their unjust abuse. It was a painstakingly slow process, hauling those two up. And the Imperial worried whether or not his grip would slip or his muscles, his well built by British army training doctrine, would give way. **  
**  
 _I can't do that. Asuka's down there for Christ's sake!_

 **"** _Evangelions are heavy by nature, Meadow-san."_ A whisp of a voice nearly caused him to let go and jump in surprise. Fortunately, a new pair of hands had grasped the crane.

Unit 00 had arrived, and had now taken position behind him.  
 **  
"** You took your bloody time!" Samuel yelled.  
 **  
"** _Forgive me. Once I received orders, I moved as swiftly as I could."_  
 **  
"** Well...at least you're here now. I assume you know what's going on?"  
 **  
"** _Ikari-kun has entered the mountain to assist Soryu-san. We are to pull them out through the use of this crane."_

"Hmm, not a complete Plank after all...alright, 1, 2, 3, pull!"

With two pairs of hands it was far easier to haul the weight of two Evangelions back to the surface. But even then...it was no easy task.

"It seems you are correct, Meadow-san." Rei found herself wincing slightly at her muscles pain.

" _Correct at what?"_ He muttered.

"This is indeed, heavy."

" _I...ugh...gah...I...well done, Rei, have a bloody cookie..."_

"What is a cookie?"

Samuel's lip quivered. **  
**  
 _They don't pay me enough for this shit._

* * *

Far below, the Seraph spiralled uncontrollably for minutes on end. It was well the Fist wasn't connected to him, or else Rogziel's screams of rage and pain would have deafened him. Eventually, forcing past the agony, the Heir stopped his decent and seethed.

 _ **Pathetic...insolent...Vooren, filth! I will not humiliated like this, not defeated like this!**_

There was absolutely no question of retreating back to Vhaayn, even if it was what father wished. He had been bested, he had failed in his mission.

 _ **I must die for my mistake...or...**_

The Seraph looked upwards, to where its enemy would be thinking they'd reached safety. How wrong they were. Rogziel thought for a while longer, then quelled the anger in himself with an idea that brought total satisfaction.

 _ **Let this end with these Vooren gazing upon true might. Let them know the true grandeur of the Divine Race. And, like all things...let this end in blood.**_

* * *

 _3:35pm, Crater_

It took about thirty seconds of pulling, until finally the two Evas were retrieved from the magma. Some of Unit 01's armour was slightly melted, and Unit 02 had crumple marks around its neck. But ultimately, even with Shinji actually feeling as if his skin was smoking, the two were unharmed.  
 **  
"** Did you get it?" Samuel directed at them.

"I think so..." Asuka was unsure. The Seraph had looked to be in a whole load of pain and seriously injured. But whether or not it was dead...no, she'd killed it. As was to be expected.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. You know what I'm like, nothing keeps me down!"

" _Good to hear that, Asuka-san."_ A vid link to the Fuso popped up on all the huds of the Units, showing a tired yet relived Misato and the confused command crew of a Japanese FCV.

"Misato-san. What happened?" Shinji breathed heavily, still wondering as to the true activities of the enemy. Granted he'd actually seen the Seraph, terrifying as it was, attempt to do...something to the redhead.

" _I don't know. Comms were down for whatever happened in the mountain. Asuka-san?"_

The young German girl frowned slightly. Unsure herself of what the monster's intentions for her were..

"I...I..."

The ground started to shake.

" _Lieutenant Colonel, we've picking up massive energy readings in the mountain. It looks like...an eruption..."_ Maya's voice sounded distant, but her words caught everyone's attention. The officer's of the Fuso had gone a deathly pale as Misato's brown eyes widened.

" _Get out of there,_ _ **now!**_ " She barked.

The four children didn't wait around. Asuka was already running before she realised Shinji had sliced the cables off her Unit. The military was backing up at full speed, and even then the Evangelions quite simply outstripped them.

* * *

From aboard the Fuso's bridge, Misato watched the carnage unfold with grim control.

"Spirits..." The Captain of the vessel whispered.

This was not an eruption. This was a volcano being ripped apart from the inside by an immensely more powerful force. Fire and magma was spread across the countryside in an apocalyptic manner. Before the eyes of all present, Mount Asama, a part of the beautiful Japanese landscape, was being obliterated. Turned from a great mountain into a black scar upon the land, by the power of a furious God Prince.

"What's happening to that blue signature, Rits-chan?" She said urgently. The faux blonde looked up from Maya's barely salvaged laptop grimly.

"Stronger than it was before."

"Damn it."

* * *

Mankind's defensive line had already readjusted, falling back a few miles from the hell Asama was unleashing upon earth. Had it been hardened veterans in those tanks and holding those rifles, they'd have observed with cold discipline. But these were men and women of the Tokyo-3 garrison, unseasoned and deeply afraid. **  
**  
The Evas had assumed their positions, two of them having picked their pallet rifles back up from where they left them in the initial hurry to save Unit 02 and its Pilot. Rei, having held onto her weapon for much of the operation. Now they faced the ruined crater, spitting lava like some sort of demonic puss, prepared for whatever would come out. **  
**  
But they weren't. No one was. **  
**  
At first it was only a silhouette. A massive one, just as tall as an Eva. It was pretty much **human** in appearance. And then, winds of orange lightening began to clear away the debris and smoke, flickering around the figure, what seemed to be a cape fluttering out from the silhouette's back. **  
**  
Across the silence echoed a new noise, a vicious and sharp one. The noise of a blade being drawn from its scabbard.

"What in God's name..." Whispered Samuel. He and only he said a word among them, as Shinji, Asuka, and Rei merely looked on. The two normal born humans had widened eyes and gaping mouths, the clone **blinked** a few times, to ensure what she was seeing wasn't some delusion.

But this was all too real. **  
**  
What stood there before all the world, was a vast, red eyed, white skinned, white haired human being. Clad in arcane red armour, white cape billowing magnificently, wicked looking blade of obsidian held in hand, this sight stumped all.

* * *

 **"** What...is that?" Misato forced her heart to slow its beat, forced memories of a similar pair of red eyes glaring down on her during the worst day of her life, out of her mind.

"It's...the blue signature is coming from...it." Maya looked up, eyes wide as saucers. No one else found words to speak, so she was alone.

"That's the Seraph."

* * *

Though his form was exaggerated in size, this was the true shape of the Divine Species. Of the mightiest warrior race in the history of the Universe. **  
**  
Rogziel threw his head back and roared in his guttural and harsh tongue, anticipating the coming combat with utter relish.

 **"Hoag Netzach! Keon Geutol, Keon Ejrod!"**

* * *

Well that cat is out of the bag...for some people...

Until next time my dear readers.


	46. 11:4 Rogziel, the wrath

The Seraph started walking, his...no, **its** , foot steps treading purposefully and heavily. Despite being miles away from him, the Eva Pilots could see the bottomless hatred and anger in those alien yet human scarlet eyes, feeling it burn their very essences. And the face which those eyes were set into, one that was thin, gaunt, and pointed, made it seem as if unfathomable rage and brutality was in his very nature.

And no one who made these observations were wrong.

He was every bit as tall as they, 160 metres, maybe even more. The armour the Seraph bore was an intricately crafted set of plates and chain mail, like some coated in blood red hybrid of 15th century European plate armour and dark age Norse Lamellar. There were some hints of a cream tunic or brown leather gloves and boots beneath it all, but near everything was covered in armour and mail. And with that pure white cape billowing out behind him, as if Rogziel's mere presence caused blusters of wind, the enemy of mankind was a most impressive sight. The eerie clanking his advance made echoed across the landscape and through the hearts of all who heard it.

As the fiery ruins of Mount Asama descended from the heavens, Rogziel's A-T field flared when it effortlessly brushed aside great chunks of city destroying debris. The Divine Heir's lip curled into a snarl as he quickened his pace.

 _ **Father would doubtlessly chide me for destroying such a fine piece of land...but I care not. My thirst for vengeance must be satiated. They must die.**_

" _All Units, open fire!"_ Misato barked across every frequency with uncharacteristic fear. Shinji, though vaguely aware of it, had no time to ponder. He was already levelling his rifle and waiting for his foe to come into range.

The rest of Eva squad did the same, aside from Asuka who lacked a pallet rifle to begin with, and could only frown in annoyance at her slightly melted prog knives.

 _Gott knows how many Marks it will take to get some new ones...Chancellor Mack is going to kill me._

With a roar, the guns of the JSA unleashed their choir of death and destruction, stabbing flame at the enemy. The Fuso backed off as quickly as it could, still unloading a payload of missiles and rail gun accelerated pallet shells. As it was so many times before, everything the soldiers of Japan could throw at this foe so far beyond them, was useless. Whilst it was not unlikely that a Seraph's A-T field could be breached by lasting and excessive firepower, the monstrosities would never give them the time to do so.

Rogziel didn't even seem bemused or playful like previous Seraphim. He was unlike any Shinji had faced before, and that wasn't in terms of appearance. He felt... _different_. No cockiness, no sadism, just rage.

"This is going to be all or nothing, people. That thing isn't going mess around with us." Shinji relayed hoarsely to his comrades, desperately fighting back his fear.

" _What? How do you know that!?"_ Samuel challenged shrilly, still wrapping his head around what was stalking towards them.

"I don't know...it's just a feeling..."

" _Feelings aren't going to help us here, Shinji. We need facts, and I ficking doubt we're getting them!"_ Asuka interrupted tightly, exasperated and angered with how the day had turned out.

Rei meanwhile, had tilted her head in silent observation. Surprise, shock and...curiosity had filled her being. The living legacy of Yui Ikari felt every bit as fascinated as when she'd first discovered the name of her her hair colour.

Blue.

 _What are you? And why...why do we look alike?_

Undoubtedly a question for the Commander, or for anyone with the knowledge.

Rogziel slowly thrust out his arm, a storm of orange lightning rushing forward. It was a show of power that exceeded even the force of a category five Hurricane, smashing into the A-T fields of the Evangelions, driving them back hundreds of feet. Their fields provided protection for the men and tanks directly behind them, but as for everyone else...

Shinji could only watch in wide eyed horror as thousands of people were flung across the landscape of Japan, steel and flesh being mangled in equal measure. With a simple flick of his wrist, the former successor to the Aesylian throne had slaughtered seven thousand human beings.

For the JSA, it was beyond even the wrath of Sachiel. This was a true _Yokai_ , having taken human form to rip out their souls and devour them.

The young Japanese boy made a split second decision. He flicked open a channel to all frequencies and yelled. "Attention all JSA units, get out of here, **now**. You can't stop this thing!"

Ritsuko's face popped up on vid link, her green eyes narrowed.

" _Pilot Ikari, you do not have authorisation to give that order-"_

" _No damn it, he's right. All JSA units, follow that command. There's nothing else you can do, get the hell out of here!"_ Misato cut in, having gotten over her initial shock.

Those eyes...those hellish red eyes...she'd have to think about it later. Granted, Rei had red eyes and they unnerved the purplehead. But these were something else entirely. Something infinitely more angry and powerful.

Thousands of infantry pulled back in an ordered, regimental fashion, columns of armoured vehicles doing the same. Just as it had been at Capital defence line 1, the JSA moved with the discipline and calm of veterans, no matter what force of nature came their way.

" _All Eva Units, push forward! Take the bastard head on!"_ Misato ordered, her tone assertive again.

Eva squad thundered forward. Closing to range rapidly, those who held pallet rifles opened fire. A solid wall of explosive shells slammed into Rogziel's A-T field, obscuring him from view with yellow explosions and smoke. Shinji emptied his rifle, cast it aside, then drew his prog knife. Samuel had done the same with his blade, and Asuka hadn't a rifle to begin with. Rei however kept her weapon, darting around the side of the Seraph and reloading.

From the vast cloud of smoke Rogziel burst forth, roaring in fury as he launched himself at his enemy. His vicious looking blade swished through the air at Shinji's head, causing the Third child to barely block with his knife and field. Whilst it was enough to prevent his head being cut off, a gauntleted fist soon followed and stuck him directly in the face. The Heir's roundhouse punch smashed through his protective shield and connected with the Eva's cheek. It's boy could have sworn he felt and heard a crack.

Unit 01 staggered backwards as the former successor threw himself at Unit 03, not giving Eva squad a second to reform. Sword clanged with sword as the two combatants cancelled out their fields. There was a frantic series of parries and blocks on the part of Samuel, the Seraph using its unfathomable strength it its advantage, savagely hacking away with his blade.

Asuka had moved to flank the eldritch prince and was now charging into his left. The girl produced a horrific grin, snarling in bloodlust.

 _You are mine, **Seraph!**_

Noticing her, Rogziel forced Samuel's sword down with his own, then thrust out his free hand to grab Unit 02 by the throat. Asuka didn't have time to gasp (let alone react) as she was lifted off he feet and thrown into Unit 03, knocking the British pilot off his feet.

Instead of trying to finish them off, a mistake many of his siblings had made before, Rogziel remained totally aware of his surroundings and swung around, expertly blocking Shinji's strike, who'd regained his senses. The boy grimaced at the feeling of warm blood dripping from his nostrils, but stayed focused.

The Seraph threw him off and came at him again, swinging powerfully, precisely, yet angrily. It wanted him dead, it wanted them all dead.

Shinji had never fought anything which could properly emote before, let alone had the face of person. And that expression of total disdain, of utter, bottomless disgust for him and the race he was a part of, chilled him to the bone.

That obsidian blade crackled with a wicked looking energy, the same sort which A-T fields manifested as. What appeared to be runes where etched into it. Their meaning, Shinji did not understand. But he could guess it wasn't friendly.

Rogziel forced his enemy's guard down, then made a precise slash at Unit 01's throat. Only a wealth of experience spared the boy from feeling his neck artery being opened up as he leaned backwards. Pressing his attack despite missing, the Seraph turned his cut into a thrust, keeping the Knight of NERV on the back foot.

Back peddling, Shinji made another stab in what he saw as a moment of opportunity, a slash that went too wide, but the wrath of Netzach corrected himself with ease. His left hand came from below to grab the purple armoured hand holding the prog knife and squeezed.

The Japanese boy shrieked in pain as he felt his fist be **crushed** , forcing him to drop the knife. At that moment, as if sensing the trouble he was in, Rei attacked Rogziel in the flank. Not nearly as brashly as Asuka had, but still with anger in her heart. Her eyebrows had narrowed in an uncharacteristic display of rage, the pallet rifle being the conduit for her anger.

Although it wasn't enough to harm the Seraph, it did gain his attention. Rogziel turned his gaze upon the white Evangelion, lip quivering.

" _ **Lih anri set, Vooren. Ifre kraesem."**_ He growled.

Using this momentary distraction, Shinji tore himself free of Seraph's grip and scrambled away for all he was worth. Not to flee, but to gain breathing space. Noticing his foe's escape, Rogziel flung a wall of orange lightening at the boy with a mere flick of his wrist. Unit 01 went tumbling, its pilot banging his head nastily for what was not the first time that day.

The red armoured Divine advanced on Unit 00, blade scraping against the ground.

" _Piss off!"_ Samuel's roar took the Seraph a little by surprise. Not nearly enough to actually be caught off guard, but enough to raise an eyebrow.

 _ **Your babbling of obscenities will not save you.**_

The Imperial Evangelion made a precise thrust, one which Rogziel easily parried. Blades of obsidian and steel continued to clash. The difference between the two's sword play was noticeable for all to see. The Seraph poured in heavy and precise blows, yet was quick to deflect. Samuel on the other hand was lighter on his feet, darting back and forth, more focused on slashing and cutting instead of outright bisection.

Rei had used up yet another clip of ammunition, as she split her attention between staying behind the enemy and reloading. Were she offthat disposition, the albino would have been frustrated. Although the vast, stratospheric bombardment deflecting fields of both the Evas and Seraph had been neutralised, smaller, weaker ones could still be manifested. Enough to block pallet fire at the very least.

Shinji shook his head to force the stars out of his eyes, instinctively flexing his hand to reassure himself nothing was broken. Weaponless, he looked around for his prog knife. Seeing it on the ground, he made to reclaim it but was taken aback by the whistling speed of a black armoured hand snatching the blade up and thundering towards the enemy.

Asuka was furious. This thing had tried to ensnare her, to trick her, deny her glory, and now it **dared** to try and lay a finger on her only friend in the world? Samuel was taking care of himself, slightly on the back foot but holding his own against the Seraph. The enemy, in a way similar to the redhead, had let his rage get the better of him.

The freckled girl leapt into the air just before she made contact. Asuka didn't care if it noticed or acted against her, she was going to hurt this creature. **Badly.**

Sensing the danger long before it came, Rogziel threw off Samuel's attack and pivoted to his left, swinging his blade with wrathful precision. In mid air, Unit 02's arm extended with Shinji's prog blade in hand. The Divine Heir was confident his enemy would try to evade the strike out of sheer self preservation, but he underestimated someone with a temper on par with his own.

His blade cut across Unit 02's black chest, liquid gushing forth from the wound, but Rogziel's red eyes widened. He tried to lean back, but the knife cut through his throat in a simple slash.

Asuka hit the ground hard, both her hand and that of Unit 02 clenching her side as she hissed and trembled in agony. It felt as if her intestines would fall out. And in the case of Unit 02...some stringy flesh like thins poked out between the slit in her armour.

She crawled around for a moment, furiously trying to fight off the nausea and the pain, far too stubborn to pass out. But Asuka needn't have worried, for the Seraph was staggering and choking on his own blood. Rei poured in the fire to keep the enemy disoriented, long enough for the squad's true heavy hitter to carry out his assault.

Shinji had watched everything unfold in slow motion, his brain on instinct calculating his next course of action. Unit 03 had backed off and gone to Unit 02's side, to assist his comrade and give the purple Eva no obstruction. The brown haired boy urged his steed forward, taking the strangely looking foe head on, his right arm coiling to throw a punch. Nothing fancy, nothing overly clever, just a brutally straight forward strike to the face.

Rogziel was too weak, too stunned to resist as Shinji closed the gap so quickly and delivered the heaviest blow he could, propelled forth by gargantuan muscles and the instinctive use of an A-T field to maximise damage. There was a sickening crack as the fist made contact with the Seraph's jaw, followed by this mighty individual being flung across the battlefield by the sheer force of it.

 _Spirits...it's like something out of Dragonball._ Shinji involuntarily chuckled at his reference.

His smile soon disappeared though, upon watching Samuel help Asuka to her feet. Whatever was...hanging out of that cut in her stomach caused his own to twist in on itself. But in that moment, his mind clicked at this final conformation.

The Evangelions were not war machines. He wasn't entirely sure what they were...and part of him really didn't want to know. And then he realised how much pain the girl must be in, and chastised himself for not recognizing it sooner.

"Are you okay?" He walked over to them, Rei standing at a slight distance.

" _I'm fine."_ The redhead muttered in a tone that indicated she really wasn't.

" _No sympathetic injury thank god. But lower your Pilot Link for heaven's sake!"_ The Imperial pleaded, as if he were some worried elder brother.

" _I'm fine, verdammut-"_

" _Do as he says, Asuka-san. You won't be of help to anyone in this state."_ Misato ordered sternly. This was not up for debate.

Asuka bowed her head, and did as she was told. Dropping her link to some fifty percent, the feeling in her stomach becoming a minor niggling sensation. She stood up fully and exhaled deeply.

"Let's finish this."

* * *

The Seraph had been flung into the remnants of the mountain he'd ruined, tumbling over and over himself, landing in a heap. He breathed heavily for a while, spitting out blue blood from his quivering lips.

Bruised and bleeding, Rogziel gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet. Before eyes that simply couldn't make sense of him, the great gash in his neck **slowly sealed itself shut**. Narrowing his eyes into hellish red slits, he slowly lifted his left hand, trembling with exertion. As if lifting something unfathomably heavy.

 _ **I will crush you...I will crush you...**_

The ground shook beneath their feet.

"Back up, back up!" Shinji barked on instinct, and not one of his colleagues ignoring him. Cracks and fissures tore their way through the ground, long dormant magma veins flowing upwards along with the Earth which had imprisoned them. Slowly, a huge clump of the landscape, five hundred metres in length, was ripped free from mother Earth's embrace. Then, with slow and ruthless concentration, Rogziel thrust his arm out.

"Mein gott." Asuka whispered. Her heart threatened to rip itself free from her chest, owing to how how hard it beat. Her mouth became as dry as a desert, and her eyes widened into saucers. The same could be said for the rest of Eva squad, aside from Rei of course. Even then...the albino felt a twinge of awe.

The remnants of mount Asama surged towards the four Evangelions at break neck speed, orange lightning crackling around this apocalyptic sight.

On instinct, four voices cried out, panickstricken, _"A-T field, max power!"_ to shield themselves from this onslaught. Their feet were forced into the ground from the sheer force, but none were bowled off their feet. Then, the last bolder to be hurled at them was sliced in half from behind by a furious Rogziel, having used the attack to mask his charge, throwing himself at the children of Eva one last time.

Specifically targeting the purple devil who'd killed so many of his siblings.

 _ **Regardless of my fate, d**_ _ **eath comes for you today, Vooren scum!**_

Shinji threw his head back and screamed when that blade of obsidian punched through his shoulder, then was silenced by a fist slamming into his face. Rogziel couldn't finish the job off however, he had to twist to beat back Samuel's futile assault. Asuka attempted to flank the Seraph again, but it would not be caught off guard twice. With the mere flick of his wrist, a hurricane of orange energy swept the black Evangelion aside, striking it with such force that its injury was ripped open.

The redhead howled, desperately clutching her side as she went down. Even at 50% link it still hurt beyond imagination. Indeed, it was a testament to her endurance and will that she didn't pass out but instead struggled on, forcing herself back to her feet and limping towards her enemy.

Rei continued to provide supporting fire for the rest of the squad, but there was no realistic chance of bringing the Seraph down. Not with its field up.

" _Shinji-kun, Meadow-san, I need you to restrain that thing. Ayanami-san, wait until I give the order to close range and blow it away. We get its field down and we can kill it."_ Misato declared, having concocted a plan.

"What about me!?" Asuka cried, sudden dread at the idea of being left out floating through her mind.

" _...do you mind being a distraction?"_

The redhead paused for a moment, her lip twitching slightly, then sighed and nodded.

 _I'll take what I can get._

" _Good, I need you to attack the Seraph head on..."_

The Ninth Seraph took stock of his surroundings. Samuel had backed off and was keeping his distance, like the rest of Eva squad. Rogziel's blood boiled at their cowardice, at their refusal to take him head on simply because he was stronger than them. They'd lost, they were always going to lose, so why did they not choose to die with honour?

 _ **Because they are Vooren. Honour is an anathema to their filthy usurping kind.**_

Suddenly, the black one darted towards him. He marvelled slightly at how durable this creature was. Had he landed a blow like that on one of his kind, they'd be on the verge of death. Asuka merely grit her teeth, throwing herself at the Seraph. Her comrades were already moving in on the sides and the clone was preparing to make the kill shot.

The redhead ducked under the swipe of his blade but presented her face for his fist. Stars promptly exploded in her sapphire eyes as that red gauntlet dented Unit 02's helmet. Asuka allowed herself to stumble backwards and topple over, giving the impression of incapacitation.

The Ninth Seraph stormed towards her, raising his blade for the killer strike, his eyes becoming not much more than red slits of hate. Then, so enraptured by his anger, so enthralled by the idea of spilling his enemy's blood, Rogziel uncharacteristically failed to notice the other two Evas.

His sword arm was grasped by Shinji, his other by Samuel. In that moment, the former felt more muscle strain than even what he experienced against the crushing jaws of the 7th Seraph. Both boys **knew** they were weaker than the Seraph and there was only a matter of seconds before it broke free and slaughtered them.

Rogziel roared with anger, thrashing around to get the two Evas off him. So that he may strike a killing blow on the infernal foe which had eluded him in the volcano. Asuka was already moving back, but not quick enough. The eldritch Prince was far beyond those attempting to restrain him.

Inevitably, the former successor ripped himself free of the purple Eva, swiping it off its feet with the back of his hand. His sword arm free, he made a deep, terrible slicing motion at the young Imperial major.

There was no way to dodge the attack. The blade would connect with Unit 03, split its skull open, and might outright kill the pilot from that neural feedback, incapacitating him at the very best. The Seraph would then be free to finish off Asuka, then overwhelm the remaining Evas. But it was not to be, as Rogziel's enraged expression faded.

The barrel of a pallet rifle filled his vision.

Rei, having darted to close range the moment Asuka went down, putting herself between the redhead and the Seraph, squeezed the trigger, unleashing a long, lasting burst of fire. Every single round, fired point blank, hit their mark. Rogziel, robbed of his A-T field for a few precious moments could only watch and feel as his chest, ribcage, internal organs, and life sphere, were ripped to shreds. Mashed together into a horrendous blue pulp or simply blown away.

From that and his own strength, he ripped himself free of the other Eva. He staggered, confusion and bewilderment overcoming his senses. The Heir felt weak...beyond all measure.

He collapsed to his knees and looked up at his killers, blue blood gushing forth from his chest and his lips. The obsidian blade clattered out of his hands.

The young albino girl walked over to him, raising her weapon to execute him via a round to the head. Even in his dying state however, the wrath of the former successor, and his unquenchable spirit, would not be suppressed.

Rogziel snarled and let off a final blast of concentrated energy with the thrust of his arm. Rei instinctively dodged, but was too close to completely avoid it. The unnatural human hissed in agony as she felt her left arm evaporate. Immediately in her defence, a purple fist slammed into the face of the Seraph, knocking him onto his back.

Shinji stood over his enemy, ready and more than happy to deliver the killing blow.

But something stopped him. That expression...one of struggle, confusion and...fear, touched his soul. The Ninth Seraph, a creature supposedly beyond human comprehension was dying.

And it was afraid.

"Misato-san, what's the stauts of the blue signature?" He murmured. Slowly and cautiously, ready to spring away at a moment's notice, the other Evas approached their fallen foe, still not quite believing what they were seeing.

" _Fading fast. It's dying. Well done, Pilots."_ Misato nodded with tired satisfaction. Unlike those under her command, she didn't see a fellow sentient being in pain and fear, but a dangerous creature that deserved destruction. Perhaps the purplehead just couldn't see the situation or her enemy in any other way.

For that would have called so many things she blindly believed into question...

The four teenagers slowly caught their breath for a while. Shinji turned towards Rei and felt his heart rip itself open at the sight of the ruined, scorched stump that was once Unit 00's right arm.

"Rei, are you alright?" He asked gently, too concerned for honorifics.

"The injury is merely superficial. I am fine, Ikari-kun." Rei was nonchalant, but still grateful for the concern in her own way. The albino did feel something...warm...when he spoke to her like that. As if she was not merely a tool but something important and irreplaceable.

 _An incorrect assertion...but not unappreciated._

" _Jah, jah, don't mind me. It's not like I've got intestines hanging out..."_ Asuka grumbled, comically yet disgustingly trying to stuff Unit 02's guts back into its stomach.

" _Internal organs...christ, that's thrown the whole war machine bollocks out the window-"_ The Imperial Eva immediately brandished its sword as Rogziel's left arm lashed out. For a moment, it grabbed hold of Unit 01's ankle, eliciting a surprised and characteristically wimpy shriek from Shinji, who jumped back from the touch.

For a moment he felt a surge of energy within himself, raging in his mind as the Heir touched it for what he needed.

Blades and rifles were pointed at Rogziel, but he didn't pay them any mind. The Seraph looked his enemy, the purple devil, dead in the eye. He opened his mouth to speak, blue blood issuing forth from it. But what came out was not a garbled language no one understood.

"You lack what it takes to win this war... **Vooren scum**." Rogziel spat in fluent Japanese. He was met with silence.

The Divine Heir struggled on for a few more moments, still raging at his fate, at the dying of the light.

 _I cannot die, I have work to do. I...must...destroy...them...I am afraid. I am afraid. I don't want to go yet...Father, help me._

Rogziel felt no more.

The Evas stood there for a minute straight, no one able to say anything through sheer shock. In the end, it was Misato who'd been blinking in disbelief, that broke this nothingness. Blunt as ever, anything else would have been awkward and she didn't have time for that.

" _You know that pool we were at earlier? They've got jacuzzis...we're going to need them."_


	47. 11:5 A respite well earned

_7:00pm, Uesegi leisure centre_

The water was warm, perfectly warm. Air bubbles being pumped through pipes further added to his and the Imperial's comfort, almost sending the latter to sleep.

It had been a long journey back, a long debrief, and it was already getting dark by the time the four children got out of NERV Central. Nevertheless, the pool was commandeered for their use by Misato who felt they'd earned this. She was currently sitting in another jacuuzi, in another room with the female pilots. Which left Shinji and Samuel to relax by themselves.

Shinji had never been alone with the aristocrat before, usually having Asuka or Misato around with him. It was...awkward. Refusing to let that ruin this however, the two had not spoken a word to each other and slumped into the soothing water.

Slowly, he swished his hand through the bubbles, enjoying the feeling of them flowing through his fingertips. Water had always been one of the few places where he felt at peace and this was no exception. He would likely have been asleep himself where it not for those terrible words crashing through his mind like a tsunami.

" _You lack the stomach to win this war, Vooren scum."_

The Seraph, a being he'd been taught to think of as "beyond his comprehension", had spoken to him in his own tongue fluently and savagely. Then of course, there was the way in which it referred to their current conflict.

 _War...it called this a war. This isn't just dealing with random freaks of nature, we're facing an enemy that's coordinating. I can see this so...why can't father?_

He'd brought this up to the Supreme Commander in his debriefing, for although Shinji was fully aware the man probably cared very little for him, this was too important for a blood feud to get in the way. Whilst Rei hadn't quite backed him up, she had described in detail the behaviour of the Seraph. Asuka and Samuel meanwhile, despite remaining strangely quiet, did add their views occasionally.

And it sounded like they were swaying to his opinion, as he elaborated on how the Seraphim appeared to be changing tactics in response to NERV's victories.

Gendo however, completely ignored him.

" _The Seraphim are above and beyond us. We can scarcely grasp their existence, let alone the workings of their minds. As such, understanding them is for now, pointless."_

Shinji opened his mouth to respond, but a simple icy glare from his father killed any retort. So he let the issue go, bowed his head, then left that dark office a few minutes later.

Yet...strange defiance still bubbled and boiled within him, like a cauldron filled with simmering discontent.

 _They can't just be mindless beasts, they can't..._

Even Misato seemed to be holding onto the general and accepted notion. Granted she seemed a little more curious about it, but nevertheless felt it was irrelevant.

" _They're monsters who want to kill us all, Shinji-kun. We don't need to understand much else about them."_

Here and now, Shinji was tempted to ask for the Imperial's opinion on what they had seen this day. As arrogant and pompous as he could be, Samuel was clearly no fool. Surely he'd understand...maybe?

Of course, owing to his nature, the young Japanese boy didn't have the courage to push this. His bravery only found solid ground on the battlefield, it was locked out of social interaction by an impenetrable wall of fear and awkwardness.

"It's been months since I had a bath, let alone this." Samuel happily mused, his expression beatific.

"Really? I can never have enough of them." Shinji replied quietly.

"I don't have anything against them per say, it's just a good deal more convenient and quick to have a shower."

"Umm...showers are...alright, I guess. But it's just hot water raining down on you. With a bath you can actually...sink into it."

"Hmm, perhaps we shall just agree that hot water is universally nice?"

Shinji chuckled slightly at what was almost a peace offer. And considering that neither the Imperial nor himself would budge on this matter, he decided to accept it.

"Yes. Still can't understand those lunatics who have cold showers..." He shuddered at the thought. Samuel, winced.

"Goodness gracious those people are mad. Just...just...why would you do that to yourself?"

"Some kind of masochism perhaps?"

The blonde boy's electric blue orbs snapped open as he sniggered. That shrill laughter was quite infectious, so Shinji soon joined him.

"Yes indeed, Shinji. Cold showers are exceptionally kinky."

"...kinky?" The Japanese boy titled his head. Samuel's mirth faded away, confusion then exasperation crossing his features.

"...is there something I've missed here?"

"Oh god, I am not explaining this to you." The aristocrat rolled his eyes. "Go and talk to you PSHCE teacher about it."

"What's that?"

"Bloody hell...your Sex Ed."

"Oh...oh dear..." Shinji's eyes widened, mortified. He blushed furiously, then dropped his gaze.

"Don't go using words you don't understand, Shinji. Reminds me of one of your damnable cartoons. What was it again...the one where they kept using crucifixes because they thought-" Samuel raised his fingers for air quotes. "- _it was cool_..."

Shinji let out a sigh at that. As little as he watched television, even he was aware of this particular show's infamy.

"Spirits... _that one_..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another jacuuzi in another room, one of NERV's two female pilots and her commanding officer resided in bubbling luxury. Here, in perfect security where they would not be disturbed, the two women had completely stripped off. Rei's absence from there was explained by the strange albino's desire to go swimming. Apparently, "it was too hot."

Asuka loved this, feeling totally and completely free. Though this heat covered her completely, it was not like the sickly, sweating claustrophobia within mount Asama.

What had nearly been her grave.

The redhead paid no mind to that. This was a good time, not something to spend dwelling upon a possible, horrendous death at the hand of an enemy that was far too human looking for her liking. Even now, she was kicking the more scientific and inquisitive part of her mind back into a dark corner.

For this moment, no questioning, no piloting, no competing. Just the relaxation a beautiful Olympian goddess such as herself deserved.

 _Heh...Olympian goddess...don't kid yourself, freckle face._

One of her eyelids cracked open slightly, a sea of sapphire gazing out. Quietly, it observed a perfectly contented Misato, then flashed downwards to inspect the body to which it belonged. Much to her frustration, Asuka had to fight down a pang of jealously and...something else.

For a moment, her shoulders slumped slightly along with her previously happy yet tired smile. This didn't last long, control was asserted ruthlessly and swiftly.

 _Pfft, don't know why anyone would want those cow udders. And...that scar. Gott, I've never seen that before._

Directly under Misato's left breast was a large, ugly but long scabbed over scar. Like some sort of slash mark.

Asuka ignored it and closed her eye shut, sliding into the warm water just a bit more. They stayed like this for a few further minutes, until Misato clearly got bored and straightened her back, moving her legs in the water.

And as her former Guardian, she was aware of what Asuka pretending to be asleep looked like.

"Well then, Asuka-chan. How are you settling in?" Misato inquired in her naturally friendly manner.

Sighing, the redhead opened her eyes and forced blue to meet brown. The purplehead wanted a conversation, and the young girl knew she'd get it.

"It's not all horrible I guess. Things are clean, people are polite, food isn't bad, and the countryside is easy on the eyes. But..." A hand instinctively went to fiddle with her mane. "It's so hot. People are so polite they're almost wooden, you don't have any locks on your doors, you're language and kanji is still strange, and I don't really want to talk to any of my classmates..."

"You miss Germany, don't you?"

"No! Of course not." Asuka's snorted, as if the notion was absurd. Raising an eyebrow yet knowing it was hopeless, Misato moved on.

"You've only been here for a few weeks. It took Shinji-kun a while to make friends as well, so don't worry." She smiled reassuringly.

"I'm not looking for friends...I don't need friends." The redhead muttered darkly, looking away from her superior officer. The girl had felt another stab of darkness when she addressed that sneaking suspicion of hers.

It only made sense after all.

"You know about my past...don't you?" Asuka asked, uncharacteristically nervous. Her hand didn't leave her red hair.

"The bits that weren't blacked out, but yes, I know enough." Misato admitted grimly yet as gently as she could.

The redhead lifted her gaze, her lips moving but no sound coming out of them. She would open her mouth, as if to say something, think better of it, close it, then repeat this process again and again.

"You need to put all that behind you now. It'll only get in the way." The purplehead asserted kindly. When it came to a past such as that, one could only move on in her view.

Asuka's expression fell microscopically, then hardened back into being its normal self. Even then, completely unnoticed by Misato, a hint of disappointment weighed those sapphire eyes down.

The rest of that bath was taken in silence.

* * *

Rei did not often feel comfortable. The isolation and "pain of life", as the Commander put it, was often troublesome to deal with. But there could be no rest, not until the Seraphim were defeated. Then and only then could she embrace oblivion and give her children peace.

But here...in the water...she felt soothed.

Swimming length after length, the artificial human did not stop or pause once. It was difficult for her to become exerted or out of breath, owing to her unique origins. So she kept pushing her arms through the water and kicking her feet.

Rei's mind however, was not entirely focused on exercise.

 _Why do I doubt? The Commander is correct, is always correct. And yet...he seemed so dismissive of what happened today. Of...that..._

Those red eyes so like her own flashed in Rei's mind.

 _The enemy bears similarity to me. Is that not cause for questioning? The Commander has often described the spawn of Adam as mighty yet unintelligent. At least, in the way the children of Lilith understand. And yet...and yet...such anger. Such hate..._

She knew little of human interaction, but even Rei recognized that emotion when confronted with it. The albino stopped halfway through her 21st length, resting on the side of the pool. Her inherent inquisitiveness had got the better of her.

 _What are they?_

* * *

"Meadow-san..."

"Yes?"

Shinji paused, mulling over his words in an attempt to find the right ones.

"Well, out with it." Samuel demanded, his eyes sparkling with mild irritation.

"What do you make of them? Our enemy I mean..." The younger boy shifted uncomfortably. "You're not buying the whole _monsters beyond our imagination_ thing any more, are you?"

The Imperial breathed in, slowly but deeply. As if...unsettled by the whole thing.

"No...no I don't. What baffles me is how command is handling this. Just outright ignoring it..." The elder by a month bit his lip. "In truth, I don't know what to think of them. I'm a soldier, I just know that the Empire's enemies must die. But...no threat should be underestimated. Nations have fallen in the past because of such mistakes, Britain shall not."

"At least you believe me." Shinji huffed a little.

"I assure you, Asuka probably thinks something similar. As for Rei...she's a plank, but she's no fool." Samuel added.

"...would you mind not calling her that? Ayanami-chan is actually quite thoughtful, she just doesn't understand how to show it."

"I've yet to see proof of that-"

"Please, Meadow-san."

"Hmph, fine. I'll try and tone it back a little. I hadn't really thought about it because Rei never seemed to take offense."

"As I said. She's not the best as voicing her feelings."

"Really now? She certainly seems to have come capability of doing it around you."

Shinji frowned in confusion, pulling his head back slightly as if he were some frightened owl.

"What, you must have noticed? That clone is ferociously protective of you." The Imperial added, as if this were obvious.

To the brown haired boy, this was a strange notion. It was he who felt protective of her. He who wanted to wrap her up in his arms and shield her from this awful world. Could it be...she wished to do the same for him?

"I...it never occurred to me...Ayanami-chan is dear to me, and I know that's reciprocated a little, but...I didn't think to that extent?" Shinji felt his cheeks warm up.

"Well now you know." Samuel grinned at Shinji's red cheeks. "You have good taste, my friend. She's a pretty girl, quite ethereal, takes care of her health, reasonably well endowed, you really could do worse."

The other boy's eyes turned into saucers as his mouth frantically opened and closed.

 _Really!? Why, why, why, why, why, fucking why, do people keep thinking this shit!? Rei is not my girlfriend, damn it!_

"It...it really isn't like that. Seriously, Meadow-san!" Shinji threw out his arms in exasperation, much to the amusement of the Imperial whose grin only broadened.

"Very well, I shall say nothing, Casanova." He chuckled a little. "You can call me Samuel, you know."

The other blinked for a moment, surprised and taken aback by this. Of course the Brit was aware, or at least had a vague awareness of, honorifics. Even then...this was quite a leap forward in terms of relationship. Was it just cultural blindness on the part of the blonde aristocrat (as Shinji suspected) or...did he actually see him as a friend.

Regardless, he'd asked to be referred to as such, so he did just that.

"Very well, Samuel-san." Shinji nodded. It was Samuel's turn to splutter for although the former's intentions were unquestionably noble, it had come out as "Sameuru-san" due to lingual differences.

"Jesus Christ... _Samuel_... **Samuel** , say it with me!"

The Japanese boy did as he was told, but to no avail. The "L" simply wouldn't come.

Samuel slumped into the jacuuzi, utterly defeated.

"Good Lord, it's going to take years to properly civilise you lot." He huffed and puffed, but not with hostility.

For a moment, the younger boy pondered something. With the Imperial's request to be referred to by his first name...what about Asuka? She was calling Shinji by his first name now...did that mean anything? Of course that could be down to gaijin mannerisms, but, perhaps this warranted inquiry. If she wanted to be spoken to in the manner that friends did...he wouldn't decline.

Shinji smiled slightly. Perhaps they weren't really close friends so to speak, but Samuel and Asuka were people he could rely on in battle, and Rei was outright family as far as he was concerned. The four of them had proven they could get the job done thrice now, so he really shouldn't be worrying. The squad wasn't perfect, but it was by no means incompetent, they could do this.

But still, as was his nature...Shinji worried.

 _That was the most powerful Seraph we've ever faced. It killed thousands of people with a flick of the hand and could easily have murdered any one of us if we hadn't been careful...ugh, it's probably because I'm such a coward, but I can't shake this feeling that we've only touched the tip of the ice burg...Spirits help us._


	48. 12:1 Politics and management

Update time!

* * *

 _Monday the 7th of August, NERV Central, Comms room, 4:10pm_

The holographic tapping would have been enough to set many on edge, especially when it was the Grand High Marshal of the Great British Empire doing it. But Gendo was undisturbed, even with Kozo shifting uncomfortably at his side.

 _Relish in your power for now, you antiquated gargoyle. Your time is almost up._ The man with a heart of stone inwardly growled with contempt at this fop who thought he had power. He simply ordered an Empire around whilst the Commander had perfected the art of control. The cracked souls of the people he had in his employment were so easy to exploit, and to mould into his design.

 _"Commander, you have often told as that the enemy is beyond our understanding. So...what is this?"_ Terrence Cromford gestured at the display of Rogziel furiously slashing at his foes.

"Something beyond our understanding." Gendo coolly replied.

 _"For Spirits' sake, Ikari-san._ _ **It spoke our language fluently. What the hell are we dealing with!?**_ _"_ Chiso snarled through gritted teeth. The middle-aged man's stubbornness and pomposity grated on her like nothing else.

"Gentlemen and ladies, please. You are demanding answers to questions we've scarcely started to ask." Kozo came to his superior's aid, trying not to break a sweat.

 _For heaven's sake, Ikari-san. I wish you didn't take so much joy from provoking these people._

"And why weren't these asked the moment the first Seraph performed a damned fencer's salute?"

Henry Abrams cut in. Were NERV under his authority, a few dozen people would have been shot already. The Princips did not like information being kept from him, nor appreciate others failing to understand the importance of that which he deemed important.

"We had more pressing matters to deal with, and we still do. The Seraphim are coming in quick succession, there will not be time to waste on such pointless questions." Gendo dismissed them. They knew nothing after all, and therefore they did not merit having their childish curiosities entertained.

 _"Do you know when they are coming, precisely, Ikari? Though you have always been vague on the matter, you are surprisingly accurate."_ Boris Flipov challenged nonchalantly yet ruthlessly. He was looking for weakness or a lapse in logic of any kind. NERV's Supreme Commander, would not indulge him.

"As I have said before, there is only rough estimates. Nothing more."

 _"Are you certain?"_

Gendo's icy blue gaze clashed with that of the Russian President. Both men lacked what we would consider "a heart" and had killed thousands.

But only one had no pretences over whether or not he was a monster.

"I assure you…your misgivings are totally misplaced. NERV will defeat the Seraphim, and mankind will be able to sleep safely once again as promised." Gendo said truthfully. The human race would indeed be able to sleep soon…forever.

Unceremoniously, the hologram link cut and the GAAFT council stared at empty digital space.

 _"The nerve of that scum…god, the day we are free of him will be a good one."_ Henry snarled.

 _"He's lying through his teeth. What worries me is if he's aware we know he's lying."_ Chiso massaged her eyebrows, worry etched into her words. She knew politicians, the many meetings with the National Diet had seen to that. The General recognized a schemer when she saw them, and Gendo Ikari might as well have a huge neon sign attached to his head saying "I will take everything from you because I can."

 _"What do you mean? If he even had an inkling he'd tread with far more care-"_ Fabrice Larue tilted her head as Terrence burst into laughter.

 _"Ikari holds all the cards. He knows that, and he enjoys rubbing it in our faces. This sort of thing happens when one wields power without anyone to keep them in check…it inevitably goes to their head."_ He mused. The Marshal's years as a Tory backbencher in the old Houses of Parliament had taught him well in that regard. And like Chiso, like everyone else in that room, he knew exactly what kind of thing Gendo was.

And in some dark recess of the Imperial's heart, fear wrapped its icy fingers around his soul.

* * *

 _Simulation room, 4:20 pm_

The black fist slammed into his face. Unit 01's hud dissolved into static, then was consumed by darkness. Slowly, the entry plug interior lights flashed on, and Shinji let his head roll back into the seat's headrest. His jaw tightened with embarrassment.

A vid link popped up with Misato's face on it, soon followed by one with Asuka's. The redhead was already smirking at him, whilst his guardian raised both her eyebrows in amusement.

 _"You've got to stop hesitating, Shinji-kun. That might be the undoing of you someday. Besides, it's not as if you can hurt anyone in a simulation."_

 _"Oh don't worry, Misato. I'll be sure to pick him up if he ficks up."_

Asuka exclaimed smugly.

These simulations were difficult. The whole fighting part was palatable, but he just couldn't finish the job. It was disturbing to him in some ways, such as the battles with the 5th and 6th Seraph, where the desire to murder, maim and kill had come so naturally through rage. What sort of bottomless anger hid deep beneath his usually docile and soft nature? When it bubbled over, killing was simple. Like just another chore in his day.

But it didn't come forth all that often. And when it did, the aftermath usually left him sick to the stomach.

So in terms of these exercises, he left most of the "inflicting fatal injuries" to his teammates. It seemed he had an aptitude for serving as support, the notion of command being alien to him. Only when it was required would he assume responsibility, and that was something Shinji regretted. In his heart, he would have quite preferred that others could take of themselves and order him around.

Because following orders was all he was good at, as far he was concerned.

But with Asuka and Samuel's glory-hogging ways, and how very dear Rei had become to him, the boy felt morally blocked from carrying out his original plan. Wait for those better than him to arrive, then walk away and go home. Back to his to his lonely and dingy apartment in Kure, to the solitude and loneliness he deserved.

"I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time." Shinji offered meekly.

 _"The Seraphim will not give you a next time, Shinji-kun. You know that."_ Misato chastised.

 _I do, Misato-san. When push comes to shove…I can do it. As much as it breaks my heart._

The 9th Seraph's confused and slightly afraid face flashed across his mind, as did the silent tears of the 8th. His stomach twisted with guilt, for what he'd done. Shinji Ikari had helped to or outright saved humanity on multiple occasions.

And murdered multiple sentient beings.

Two more faces flashed up on vid link, those of Samuel and Rei. Shinji's sister was nonchalant as ever, whilst the Imperial looked totally satisfied. Unlike his German counterpart, Samuel did not smirk but leaned back into his seat, hands folded behind his head, eyes closed with contentment.

 _"All finished, Sub Commander. Victory goes to Meadow-san."_ Maya relayed from the other side of the link.

 _"I see you're adjusting to fighting Ayanami-san a bit better, Samuel-kun."_ The purplehead noted with approval.

 _"Hmm. Rei here is good with a gun, but anything else…oh well, it's not like she's to blame. That decrepit Unit cannot participate in a stand-up fight to save its life."_ Samuel arrogantly sighed.

 _"That is incorrect. Unit 00 can engage the enemy at maximum efficiency. It just…requires appropriate handling."_ Rei's blue eyebrows narrowed fractionally.

 _"You know, for someone who acts like such a wooden plank, it isn't all that hard to get on your nerves."_ The Imperial's lips curled upwards slightly.  
 _  
"I am not irritated."_

 _"And I was born yesterday…"_

" _That is a falsehood. You are too physically matured to have been born yesterday-"_

 _"Oh for god's sake!"_

 _"Alright you two, that's enough."_ Misato chuckled. In many ways it truly did her 30-year-old heart good, to see these teenagers act as teenagers. To be…children.

An opportunity never afforded to her. Granted, any chance of a normal childhood had been cruelly snatched from them, but it was still better than actually living through the first year after Second Impact. Otherwise known as Hell on Earth.

 _"We'll run one more today. Team-based combat this time, let's see how a rematch of your first simulation goes. Asuka-chan and Samuel-kun in one team, Shinji-kun and Ayanami-san in the other. Graveyard map, same rules…"_ Now the white of her teeth flashed. _"Have fun."_

 _By the Spirits, you've earned it._

* * *

 _Commander's Office, 5:00 pm_

Once a week, every week, the Sub Commanders of this most enigmatic of organizations would assemble in this dark imposing room, and report to their Superior. All so that Gendo Ikari would know precisely what went on in his own personal fiefdom. For this was a man that did not tolerate anything being beyond his notice or control. Even Caspar, the runaway A.I that should have never been turned on, was present.

He would sit at his desk upon an elevated platform, impassive and stone-faced as usual. Kozo would stand, hands held behind his back, at his side, and all the other Sub Commanders would stand line abreast in front of and below him. Shiro Tenka, head of Section 5, often thought his employer did this to make himself feel powerful and to impose a sense of dominion over his subordinates.

Ritsuko knew this to be true.

"Are there any issues to report?" Gendo demanded coldly, his cerulean gaze turned near hellish by his orange tinted glasses, burned into everyone there.

The Sub Commanders would answer in order, and as Ikari himself was head of Section 1, the command group which included them, and Section 2, his own private secret police, Misato came first.

From a distance, Ryoji Kaji watched the strange event unfold. He sat on an unfolded chair, arms lazily holding his head up. Only through years of experience did he hide how unnerved he was, at how cold and obsessed with control Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari was. And even worse…a person Ryoji dearly cared for seemed completely in his thrall.

"Section 3 has secured the sight of the last Seraph's destruction. The aptitude and cohesiveness of our Pilots are improving at a good rate…your son pushed his Pilot Link to 73% today, sir." Misato relayed professionally yet gently. The Commander should know just how well Shinji was doing. And considering that she felt a twinge of pride, then surely he would?

"Do not trifle me with irrelevancies, Sub Commander Katsuragi. Is there anything else of importance or are you finished?" The older man dismissed her.

"No…my apologies, sir." She stiffened but bowed her head.

"Good. Sub Commander Akagi?"

"Yes sir." Ritsuko clicked her heels. "The minor battle damage done to our Evas has been repaired. My section is becoming more and more capable at maintenance, the experience is doing them good. There are no malfunctions with the entry plugs or their insertion, Pilot control remains absolute."

Gendo grunted at that, then turned his gaze upon Shiro. The gruff old soldier and he had a tumultuous relationship, the former occasionally snarling in his face about _"what a horrible person"_ he was. But his medical expertise was near irreplaceable, so he was permitted his insults.

 _How strange. The man is a soldier, he should surely know what must be done? Besides…he will understand one day._ The already narrowed eyes of the cold individual narrowed a little further.

 _They all will._

"Well sir, the only thing I have to report is some slight issues with the rejuvenation tanks. We think one of the pipes might have broken or something has fallen off, but we're people of medicine. We aren't engineers. I request that you free up some of Section 4 to take a look at them. If worst comes to worst, we need those things fully operational." The stocky and greying man declared. It truly got to Shiro how little regard his superior had for the health of his staff. Indeed, it had only been through extensive persuasion that the medical ward had a little garden for patients to relax in.

And that had taken weeks of arguing to get.

"I shall deploy them as soon as they are available. Until then, the Evas take priority." The Supreme Commander didn't even look at his old teacher, but Kozo knew he was next. Much to Gendo's satisfaction, obedience was becoming almost automatic these days from most of those beneath him.

"Nothing to report on Section 6, sir. A few bellyachers groaning about wages, but nothing else." The older man nodded.

"Hmm. And what of NERV Central itself, Caspar?" Gendo looked upwards, as if almost at the heavens.

 _"You see, Gendo-chan, the secondary S2 reactor has been causing some grief again. No risk of explosion fortunately, just power outages. Oh, and one of our cranes is becoming really sluggish in how it responds. I would recommend getting that looked into, really don't want technical faults right about now."_ The A.I boomed joyously as usual but…there was concern hidden in there.

The father of the Third child remained quiet, as if processing that information.

 _"Are you finished computing or can I go now?."_ Caspar's words elicited some chuckles or even a snigger from one or two people.

"Of course. That will be all, Caspar-san. Thank you." Kozo smiled slightly. For some reason, the machine always appreciated ordinary niceties.

 _"It is of no trouble, Kozo-chan. Have a nice day…"_ The A.I's voice faded into nothing.

A thick atmosphere of awkwardness descended upon the room, as Gendo processed what he would say next in his mechanical manner. Eventually, his "cogs" clicked into place.

"I trust there is nothing else that needs to be brought to my attention?"

All but one of his subordinates remained quiet. Of course, the old soldier would speak.

"What concerns me most is how we're all pretending last week didn't happen. **It spoke in our damned language, sir!** Not to mention took the shape of a human being, tried to hack our boys and girls to pieces with a sword and outright sneered at them. This is a massive development-"

"Tenka-san, Seraphim are weird. Really, really, weird. Even if we tried to understand them…I doubt we'd get far. Besides, they want to destroy us, so we must destroy them. And looking into their _etiquette_ doesn't help us do that." Misato cut in.

 _They are mighty, without a doubt. But they're just beasts, clever beasts, but beasts nonetheless._

A 17-year-old memory of disgust filled red eyes bearing down on her, caused the beautiful woman to stop a shiver.

 _They can't be intelligent…they can't._

Ryoji, all the way over in his corner, instantly noticed Misato's discomfort and had a **very** good idea what it was about. Back when they were…together, it was all too often that he'd have to hold a sobbing wreck who'd just woken from a terrible nightmare.

 _I'll talk to her after this is done._

"Well put, Sub Commander Katsuragi. As fascinating as it would be, all resources need to be devoted to our conflict. There may yet come a time for study when it is done. Now, if that is all, then our business is concluded." The Supreme Commander didn't move an inch, but he might as well have gestured for them all to leave.

"Yes sir." The Sub Commanders clicked their heels, bowed their heads, and filed out with the UNIS agent following… _eagerly_. Most men would not have noticed it, But Gendo did.

 _It seems Agent Kaji still cares for his former flame. That may yet prove to be useful leverage._

Never would he pass up the acquisition of another broken pawn.

"It is interesting though, is it not? The nature of our enemy?" Kozo mused quietly, both to himself and his former student. Gendo's thumb fidgeted, but he ultimately ignored him.

"The Scenario is all, Sensei. The Seraphim stand in its way, therefore they must be destroyed. I care very little for an obstacle." He rose from his seat, his lightless soul being warmed by another thought.

"I have business with the First Child…private business. Call her to my quarters, there are matters we must discuss."


	49. 12:2 Misato and Ryoji

She could hear his footsteps. After all those times of making her jump, Misato had practically memorized them. And in her weakest moments…somewhat missed them.

"Can I help you, Kaji-san?" She said professionally, stopping mid step and turning to face him. For a micro-second he froze like a dear in the headlights before those brown eyes, then immediately composed himself.

"Oh, um…well, Sub Commander Katsuragi, I was just wondering if you were having any trouble with work?" Ryoji put on a winning grin.

Misato rolled her eyes, but felt a little warmth deep down. Back when they were an "item," with so many other college students running around, they'd had to come up with strange code words or phrases. And this one, she knew very well.

 _Do you need to talk?_

Misato thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Could do with a little bit of it." She gestured for him to follow her. After a walk that lasted merely a minute, they arrived at a small computing server room, which was not to be inhabited for another thirty minutes as staff were on a break. Folding her arms and leaning against the wall, Misato sighed.

"Can't get it out of my head, Ryoji. Don't think I ever will." Her hand reached into her shirt, instinctively clutching the cross hidden beneath it.

Slowly, he idled over to her side and leaned against the wall as well.

"You don't let it paralyze you though. I…" Ryoji shook his head. "I don't think I could manage that."

"Heh, when was waking up in a cold sweat ever _handling it?_ "

"It's better than nothing. You're a tough old warhorse, Misato. Always have been."

Her eyes flickered over him for a moment, before her lip curled upwards slightly.

"Old?" Misato said with a hint of her old teasing tone.

Ryoji instantly kicked himself inwardly. Rule number one with women, never call them old. He remembered getting a death stare from Misato the day he met her. The day where he'd estimated she was 20, when in fact she was 19.

 _Well, no saving this. Just accept it._

"Well…you've perfected aging with grace."

The elbow that drove into his side was not a hard one, but it did make him wince.

"I am 30! That is not old!" She hissed, at least playfully.

Ryoji chuckled at that, then shifted awkwardly.

"You've hardly changed." His eyes, similar in colour to hers, appraised Misato Katsuragi. Even after all these years, she was unmistakeable. Despite having clearly changed and… _grown_ , in more than one area, this was still the young woman he'd fallen head over heels for.

She was still **beautiful.**

"Well…you haven't much either." Misato looked him up and down, before raising an eyebrow. "What is that bristle there for? Are you trying to look manly or something?"

"It is manly!"

"It…really doesn't suit you. I mean, the pony tail still works and I'm kind of glad you didn't mess with it, but aside from that…"

"I can do what I like with my face." Ryoji huffed, mentally making a note to shave at some point.

"But I must admit…you do look healthier…" Her brown eyes widened, aghast. "Did you give up smoking?"

Her old flame sighed humouredly, running a hand through his mop of brown hair.

"Yes. The withdrawal symptoms were difficult to begin with, but I got through them. You'd be surprised what a decent amount of cajoling and threatening can do…" He could already picture it, the time she'd caught him having a quick one. And how hard her hand impacted his cheek.

 _Ficking dummkopf! What have I told you about those death sticks, gott give me strength…_

"Asuka-san made you give it up? I see why you did…" Having been the redheaded countess's care taker once, Misato knew well enough that teutonic wrath. It had only been because drunkenness was something Asuka found amusing, that she was permitted to drink.

 _She'd make for one terrifying Empress, that's for sure._ Misato smiled.

"In all my years of undercover operations, and other stuff I'm not allowed to talk about, she is the scariest person I have ever met…barring you of course." Ryoji quickly placated her. Kind and fun, she may be, but Misato had a wicked temper that could be coaxed out all too easily. Many of his fellow men had learned that the hard way when they'd tried to "come on" to her.

…not that he ever felt truly sorry for them. After all, the purple haired woman had caught his attention from the moment she walked into class. It hadn't been like he'd "staked his claim" or wanted to get into her pants instantly, not at all. But…he did shift seats to be next to her.

 _I had some smooth moves back then._

"How long have you been looking after her?" Misato inquired.

"Three years. Even though she's technically Kaiser Rudolf's ward and lived at Sansoucci for about half her childhood." He gestured with his hand as Misato nodded. They both knew this, he was just making sure she was clued in. "When her training intensified they had to put her in Berlin, and I was on hand to provide care. I am absolutely certain she had a crush on me…13-year-old hormones and all. Probably why she was reasonably well behaved most of the time…" Ryoji shook his head. Clueing Asuka in that he was too old for had been the most dangerous mission of his life.

He scarcely survived the 6-month long sulk.

"The ire of Asuka Von Zeppelin…not something I'd wish on anyone." Misato laughed, knowing full well how hazardous it was to be on the redhead's wrong side. Not that the girl ever meant to cause lasting damage, but she did vent. By the Spirits, did she _vent_.

"Hence how, in my desperation to escape it, I managed to cast aside the shackles of smoking. And now, my lungs breathe freer than ever!" Ryoji grinned, entirely naturally. Smoking had been quite therapeutic in times gone past, a necessity for dealing with…terrible memories. Those of friends long lost lying dead in a pool of blood after the soldiers had done their work. Now however, he didn't need it so much.

Between work and taking care of Asuka, Ryoji had plenty to occupy his mind. And the feeling of openness in his lungs, of health and vitality…he'd trade it for nothing.

"Good for you. I've been trying to get Rits-chan off that crap for years, and-" Misato stopped mid-sentence upon seeing that knowing look in his eyes.

"Absolutely no success?"

"Yes. Absolutely no success."

"That doesn't surprise me, always was a stubborn one. Really do need to meet up with her, catch up and all."

"I think she'd like that. Rits-chan needs as many good memories to dig up as possible these days."

"…how do you mean?"

Misato's cheerful expression darkened at that, eliciting a confused tilt of the head from Ryoji.

Despite the three of them still very much being friends, contact had been brief and strained over the past decade since they'd parted ways. It was only natural her old flame wasn't aware of what their faux blonde friend had been through.

"You know how…she was getting close to the Commander back then?" She said quietly and awkwardly. No one should overhear, and this was a difficult thing to describe. Owing to how damn disturbing the whole thing was.

Realisation dawned on Ryoji, and his eyes widened.

"They didn't?"

"Yeah…" Misato sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "Thank the Spirits she broke it off a few years ago but the damage was done. Poor thing probably won't have another relationship until we're past 2030."

"…holy shit." He closed his eyes and winced, fingers pinching his nose. How awful, such a spirited and beautiful young woman being used as the personal plaything of a man Ryoji knew to be a monster. A monster who legitimately frightened the various tyrants, autocrats and Emperors of the world.

And considering what he'd dug up about NERV's predecessor, GEHRIN, he knew they had every reason to be concerned.

 _No specifics, he's covered his tracks nicely. But with the little I know about what happened there…why hasn't the UN shut him down? Who'd have thought abandoning your only child on a train platform would be the least of your crimes._

Ryoji allowed his eyes to open again, and look back at Misato.

"Pretty messed up, isn't it?" She said.

"Hmm." He grunted, worry clawing at his heart.

 _And he has you on his payroll. Misato-chan, you're so smart, why can't you see him for what he is? Is it your vendetta against the Seraphim? Oh Spirits…_

How he wished to go back to those warm summer days, of a single bed in a college residence, and a weekend of passion and rightness he hadn't experienced the like of since. For although he was something of a dashing secret agent…there was only one his heart belonged to.

XXX

 _Twelve years before…_

 _The Japanese were used to warm weather. Ever since the Impact, air had become almost claustrophobic. His room's fan was on at full blast, but it did nothing to abate the heat. Not that Ryoji would have wanted it, as the heat he held…was not that of the sun's._

" _Mmm…is it already Sunday?" Said a tired but happy voice. Purple hair was pressed into his neck, finger tips tracing over his shoulder. Clammy, sweaty flesh was pressed together by the two lovers. They'd never been more comfortable._

" _Heh, yeah." Ryoji chuckled, still wrapping his head around it._

" _So you've kept me trapped in this bed for two days?"_

" _Me? I've been the one holding on for dear life at least half the time! Thank heavens we stocked up on birth control…"_

 _This had been inevitable. For that full week the two had been crammed into a bunker during the decisive battles for the future of Japan. In those dark days, it really seemed like the Communists would overrun them completely, and the thought of that…was terrifying._

 _And so, to alleviate their fear, the two started dating. They knew they liked each other and decided "what the hell, why not?" Of course, in a public place like that, Ryoji and Misato couldn't get too frisky, they could just kiss and cuddle up in one bunk. However, as soon as they got back to college and reached the weekend…he'd nervously asked if the woman of his dreams would like to spend the night with him._

 _The result had been a very long kiss…and a very long weekend._

 _Not that he minded. And the same could be said for Misato._

 _She lifted her head up from his chest, and laid her lips upon his. Ryoji's arms remained wrapped around her slender frame, enjoying the purity of this moment as much as he could. For all things were temporary…which was why one had to make the most of today._

 _Leaning back, Misato tilted her head with that mischievous look which he knew all too well now._

" _Oh dear, I'm getting tempted to leave again...don't let your prisoner escape." She battered those lovely eyelashes._

 _Ryoji reached up slowly, cupping her cheek gently._

" _As long as you want me, I'm yours, Misato."_

 _A moment of indecision, apprehension, or fear crossed her features, but it was swiftly smoothed away. The future didn't matter, she could enjoy the now. Misato let herself be pulled into an embrace, and a kiss._

 _Their bodies soon became entwined once again._

XXX

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Misato's eyebrow had risen again, knowing that distant and blissful look on his face.

"Hmm, what?" Ryoji blinked himself back into reality.

She looked searchingly at him for a moment, then scanned downwards. Immediately, Misato sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Ryoji…"

Suddenly, the composed and collected secret agent realised his predicament, and lost his composure. Ryoji's cheeks turning red coincided with a deep wince.

"I'm…I'm sorry…"

"You're thinking about that weekend again, aren't you?" Misato folded her arms.

"No…no…"

"Yes you are. You're a man, and **all men** think with those." She nodded at the bulge in his trousers.

"You aren't helping!" Ryoji hissed.

"Ugh…just think about waking up in bed with the Commander."

Her former lover's "predicament" deflated faster than a dying flower as he looked at her in horror.

"Don't do that…I might have to bleach my brain to get **that** out of my mind." He shuddered only partially hyperbolically.

 _Rits-chan…you're one of the cleverest people I know, so how the hell did you end up with him?_

They both chuckled awkwardly over his little exaggeration. Little as in, Gendo Ikari was the last person in all the world anyone wanted to wake up with in the morning. Or even be around for extended periods of time.

The mirth died away, as Ryoji smoothed out his expression.

"So…you're alright?" He asked, concerned. Misato knew in her heart he always would be, no matter what corner of the Earth he was in.

"I'm fine. Just silly old me." She half lied. The horror of Second Impact ground zero would never leave her, but talking about it with this man…helped.

"There's nothing wrong with silly old you." Ryoji grinned that cheeky grin of his.

Misato's eyebrows furrowed at that.

"Hey, I'm not trying anything." He raised his hands in mock surrender. His face then softened. "Wasn't all bad though…was it?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then genuinely smiled at him.

"No, I guess it wasn't."

Ryoji returned her smile, and for a moment it felt like some of that old connection they'd shared was burning brightly again. But then Misato forced her smile down, and the flame was snuffed out.

"That's all in the past now. We've both moved on, and that's for the best. But…" She pressed her lips together. "…it is good to see you again, Ryoji."

She turned away, and briskly walked out of the room to attend to whatever business she had. Ryoji looked on wistfully.

"See you later...Misato." He whispered, as if his very soul were put into these words. It would take another half an hour for him to wipe that silly little smile off his face. Even longer to stop thinking about the purple haired beauty who'd made herself an intrinsic part of his life.


	50. 12:3 Concerns and leads

Clipboard held in hand, she walked through the corridors of NERV at a brisk pace. As a Scientist, Ritsuko did appreciate how structurally sound it all was. But…it was so dead and uniformed; one room was absolutely no different to the other. Merely for that, she'd always hated working here. And that wasn't even considering the other baggage this place had dropped on her.

"Akagi-san?" Said a gruff voice she knew well. Ritsuko had to stifle a smile, often wondering how so well built and stocky a man could be as stealthy as Shiro Tenka.

"Tenka-sensei, what can I do for you?" Guiltily, she lowered her emerald green eyes to look upon the shorter man. For the former soldier did have insecurities about his height.

"I was hoping to have a word in private." Shiro grunted, in his straightforward manner. Something Ritsuko appreciated beyond belief.

 _Why do people who actually wear their thoughts on their sleeves have to be so rare?_

"How private?" She tilted her head. His silence said all. "Caspar-san, could you have a convenient audio corruption for the next five minutes?"

" _What's that, Ritsuko-chan? I…I'm having trouble hearing you…"_ The A.I trailed off. Ritsuko still couldn't fathom just how much this "machine" would do for her, simply for the asking. It…no, **she** , cared deeply for her in a strange way. Of course, when one's brain is formatted from the mind of Naoko Akagi, one would have mixed feelings on the daughter of said progenitor.

"Strange, how a machine has more warmth to it than Ikari-san." Shiro shook his head and sighed, as if in disbelief.

"Careful, the Commander might consider that treasonous." Ritsuko admonished, amused.

"Treason? He's not the damn Emperor of Japan, he's my employer. I don't owe him any loyalty."

"No one sane does. Well, what do you want?"

Shiro shifted a little uncomfortably for a moment, then began. "Akagi-san, you are no fool. There are things we do not understand about our enemy, and it concerns me how hell bent the Commander is on keeping it that way."

Ritsuko couldn't help but quietly nod. "Yes…yes, I understand your concerns entirely. The Seraphim are a lot more than _mindless beasts_. Trouble is, I don't think it's that the Commander knows things we don't and wants to keep it that way…" Even though she was safe, she couldn't help but look over her shoulder. "It's that he doesn't want to understand."

"But…why? What do we have to gain from keeping ourselves in the dark?"

"I don't know, Tenka-sensei. Even when we were together…I never knew his thoughts as much as I thought I did. He was always distant, indecipherable. He doesn't think in a military or scientific manner. It is as if he's being driven by something else…"

"To think that man is in charge of something so important. The _Kami_ have a strange sense of humour."

"Indeed…you are not the only one with worries, Tenka-sensei. About him, and about NERV."

Shiro knew exactly what Ritsuko was referring to there, and quietly admired how much she'd changed and bettered herself over the past few years. The concern, one they both shared, ate away at their very souls.

 _We are making children fight our war. We are every bit as monstrous as the Seraphim in some ways._

"I have a contact. He sent me some things a while back that…seem familiar." She bit her lip in thought as Shiro frowned.

"How so?" The older man asked.

"Oh, it'll probably come to nothing, but you know, scientist, process of elimination, that sort of thing. Now, we both have our duties to get to. Good day, Tenka-sensei." Ritsuko gave a polite bow, one NERV's chief medical officer returned, then walked off. "Caspar-san, you can start listening again."

" _-ah, wonderful! Got that technical problem sorted, won't be any more trouble-"_

Shiro blocked out the rest of that and continued with his day. All whilst pondering the meaning of his ethical student's words.

 _Process of elimination. What has this "contact" sent her, a live Seraph?_

XXX

 _Geo front residences, apartment 18, 8:00pm_

Her lab coat was practically thrown over the sofa, her empty boots hitting the floor soon after. Ritsuko collapsed, loudly exhaling in both relief and exhaustion. Work hours in NERV were relatively ridiculous, even by pre-Motichka Japanese standards sometimes. Granted, the pay was excellent, and the accommodation was spacious, which was why the organization had about 20000 members worldwide.

Still, there were times when she wished the Commander would give them a holiday. When the war was over, if it was ever over, Ritsuko planned to go abroad for a while. An Italian beach resort which she could reside upon in a swim suit for hours on end with a cold drink at her side sounded perfect.

 _Perhaps Misato-chan might like to join me? Oh dear, letting her loose in Italy…_

The flirtatious purplehead roaming one of the most "romantic" cultures of them all, could only ignite chaos of an epic sort. Hence why Ritsuko wanted her oldest, and best friend to come along. Truly, it could be like the old days.

"Meow."

She barely had time to sigh before the brown ball of fluff deposited itself on her head.

"Hello, Einstein. How are you?" Ritsuko reached up and affectionally scratched the ear of the cat.

"Meow."

"Oh, you're hungry? Never would have guessed…"

"Meow." Her other vets bill on legs hopped onto the sofa arm, then her lap, yellow eyes fixed on her.

"Give me a few more minutes and I'll feed you. I just got home!" Ritsuko begged her slave drivers, to no avail.

"Meow."

" _Taku_ …"

A minute or so later, Ritsuko had put down a saucer of milk and some cat food, getting the hairballs off her back for just a moment. Although, it really didn't annoy her too much. Albert and Einstein, those black and brown little monsters, were family, and they'd **chosen her** to be family. That meant…a lot.

But before Ritsuko could sit back down and turn on the television, she decided to sort out the sense of niggling doubt that had sat in the bottom of her mind since the meeting with Gendo. It probably would amount to nothing, but why not chase it up?

Sitting at her computer screen, the Sub Commander pulled up " _Sokudo",_ a high-speed internet video call and communication system, accessed her list of contacts and selected _Jiazan Iata_.

The head of NERV's Section 7, the archaeology department. The descendant of the GEHRIN group who'd dug up Lilith all those years ago…under the leadership of Doctor Yui Ikari. Whilst archaeology was its official title and somewhat true these days, that part of the organization's purpose and history was unnervingly murky to all a but a few.

However, with all that was required for the construction of the Eva Series, the Section hadn't really had much to do aside from sit around and twiddle their thumbs. It seemed likely the Commander would disband them sooner or later, but the Vice Commander convinced him otherwise. They certainly helped with public image and where a small drain on NERV's vast budget, so they were set to work.

At that moment, they were mostly concentrated at a huge dig in Norway. And it was to do with findings from there, that Ritsuko wanted to get in touch.

The sound of electronic blooping done in a musical fashion aggravated her ears for a few moments, before a small window on the screen became filled with the face of a man in his late thirties. Spectacled and gaunt, unkept stubble, messy long brown hair having mud in it, dark circles hanging under his tired brown eyes, he'd clearly just dropped whatever he was doing.

" _Sub Commander Akagi…to what do I owe this pleasure?"_ Jiazan asked nervously. He loved his job and always feared calls from the higher ups, that might tell him to either stop or find a new job.

"Nothing much, Sub Commander Iata. I'm just calling on account of some things you sent me a while ago…I haven't got them printed." Ritsuko huffed in frustration, having forgotten to do this simple task.

" _Are these to do with my current investigation or…dig site prime?"_

"The Norwegian dig site. Don't worry, I'm not after anything too classified."

" _That's a relief, the Supreme Commander would have my guts if I handed something out by accident…let's see, was it those runes?"_

"Yes, that was it."

" _Hold on a moment…"_ His face disappeared for a moment, the clear sounds of rummaging through a huge pile of things caused Ritsuko to smile. She'd met Jiazan once or twice before, and he immediately struck her as the sort of person who could live in a pigsty.

"Sub Commander, you did email it to me."

There was a sudden pause, and a very quiet curse. Jiazan popped back up looking a little embarrassed. Not even a second later, Ritsuko's computer pinged as it received a file. Pressing the screen, the file opened to reveal a high-quality picture of an ancient stone wall with runes that were once utterly alien to her, etched into it. Now however, she felt a cold tingle travel up her spine.

"That's the one, thank you. Now, what I'm about to send you **is** highly classified. Fortunately, you are of a rank that allows you to see it…but keep it quiet." Ritsuko ignored Jiazan's brow crease in confusion as she accessed her own files and dispatched a specific picture taken not many days ago.

When Mount Asama was rent asunder.

 _This might be a public network, but communications between NERV staff are encrypted and protected. No one is getting hold of this._ She reassured herself.

Looking intensely intrigued, Jiazan opened what she sent him, and blinked in astonishment, trying to process what he was seeing.

" _Sub Commander Akagi…wha…w…what am I looking at?"_ He tripped over his own words.

"This is an image taken from our recent action against the 9th Seraph. This **is** the Seraph." Ritsuko said sternly, indicating just how serious this was.

" _That…that's impossible…"_

"Zoom in on its sword."

Jiazan did just that. His eyes widened into saucers.

" _I'm going to send you everything I have, but I must recommend you come to Norway as soon as possible, Sub Commander. There are things you need to see with your own eyes. Should we not send this to Supreme Commander Ikari?"_

"No. Not yet anyway. We need concrete evidence, or otherwise he'd just dismiss us and prevent any further study. It'll be difficult, but I'll try and come."

" _Very well. Good day, Sub Commander…take care."_ Jiazan ended the call.

Ritsuko leaned back and rubbed her pretty face with her hands.

 _It's hard to believe, but this is…too big to ignore. These aren't just random monsters, far too many coincidences for that._

Her expression darkened.

 _Misato is not going to handle this well…_ _ **if**_ _I'm right._

"Meow."

She slowly turned to look at the sources of many of her troubles. Albert and Einstein sat on the sofa, looking at her expectantly. Taking up as much space as they could, but leaving the bare minimum for their "pet."

"Alright, I'm coming." Ritsuko chuckled, slowly walking over and plopping herself down. Immediately, she was covered by fur and contented purring.

"Love you too, you little _yokai_."

"Meow."


	51. 12:4 Cards

_Command deck, 10:00pm_

XXX

"Night shift…wonderful." Shigeru rolled his eyes and took a quick swig of beer.

"Don't complain, the Supreme Commander might fire us. So shut up, and let's play cards." Makoto huffed, handing out a deck of cards to his fellow bridge workers.

"I really don't think this is a good idea-" Maya tried to add, but Shigeru cut her off.

"You don't think anything's a good idea you pansy. What's life without a little risk?"

"…I'm working for an organization that combats horror stories straight out of Lovecraft, and if we fail everything dies. I think I've stuck my neck out quite enough."

"Eh, whatever…"

"Just how did we end up here?" Having finished dealing out the cards, Makoto leaned back with eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"How do you mean?" Maya asked.

"Well, we don't exactly share the same hobbies or interests do we? And yet we've all ended up in this extremely specialised and well-paid line of work."

"You answered your own question there. The pay's good, and the job's relatively stable. Hell, even though Motichka put the economy back together and wrapped it up with gaffer tape for good measure, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Now what are we playing, poker, blackjack?" Shigeru tried to move on, at least a game of cards would probably take his mind off the mind-numbing boredom that was nightshift.

 _Pay's good. Just think of that. After the next Seraph, whenever it comes, I'm going to treat myself to some more tunes for my stereo._

"We'll go with poker, and yes, that means a bit of betting is allowed." Makoto sighed, amused, at the sudden sparkling in Shigeru's eyes.

"Well I'm in. Let's say, 1000 yen to start off…"

They played into the night, chasing away the desire to sleep via enjoyment of the game. After all, was it not a most human of concepts to find creative ways of escaping boredom?

Maya gave some praise to the heavens for air conditioning down here. Where it not kept constantly functioning in top condition by their effective yet cantankerous A.I that served more as care taker than anything else, she might well have left years ago. Heat was something the young woman was not overly fond of, having always liked the cold.

The cold made being snug a wonderful thing, sitting on the family sofa and watching the snow fall outside as Christmas neared, wrapped in a dressing gown and mug of hot chocolate in hand. It pained Maya to know that so many would grow up without even knowing a good winter and a snowball fight.

 _I probably shouldn't think of that. I'll treasure those memories, but I can't let them rule me. That's exactly what my family would want me to do so I'm doing it._

Second Impact had taken something from everyone. Anyone who said otherwise was clearly a liar. For Maya herself, her family had all perished in the aftermath of it. Whilst they survived the initial earthquake and Tsunami, their lives were snuffed out by a landslide. Her mother, her father, her older and younger brothers, all gone in the blink of an eye. And as the extended family had all lived by the coast…she was the only one left to carry on the Ibuki name.

Looking around at her colleagues, having to gage their thoughts via their faces (as poker is quite a psychological game) Maya knew what they'd lost. After working with them for years, these sorts of things slipped out. Quite helpfully, as it gave them common ground.

Makoto still had parents, whom he supported with this job. Of course, they were kept far away from here, out of harm's way if the Seraphim weren't let into Terminal Dogma. But his elder sister…his best friend and inspiration had, like many young Japanese, enlisted to fight the Communists in 2005.

She never came home.

At least half his school friends perished in the initial aftermath of Impact, and as a teenager he'd had to survive famine, bandits, gang wars and all the rest. Beneath that nerdy exterior, resided the spirit of a survivor who believed nothing was given in this world, only earned.

Shigeru meanwhile, had never known his family. He'd simply been abandoned to the world not long after his birth. The orphanage he was dumped at was however, whilst harsh, was ultimately fair and the fondest memories of his life originated from there. Then on September 13th, 2000 AD, his home was crushed by earthquakes and washed away by Tsunami. Leaving him the sole survivor.

If ever there was a reason for someone to have so nihilistic an outlook on life, Shigeru Aoba had it.

His brown eyebrows furrowed, soon followed by a tut.

"In trouble?" Makoto chuckled.

"No, no. I've made worse work." Shigeru dismissed him arrogantly.

"Says the man who loses at least half his games."

"Also the man who wins the other half."

"Well I win more games than you…" Maya fell silent when the slightly older and harsher looking man scowled at her.

"Come on, Aoba-san. Don't be mean to Ibuki-chan." Makoto admonished, playfully yet with an undercurrent of severity.

"As if that were possible." Shigeru grumbled, taking a long look at Maya then sighing in exasperation. "And there it is, the hurt puppy eyes. Look, I'm sorry. Let's just enjoy our game."

The "baby of the bridge" was a sensitive soul. In fact, some of the staff who worked closely with the Evas compared her often to the Third Child. Quiet, nervous, and sweet. No one really disliked her, or any of the Observation deckers. Makoto was always helpful and ready for a laugh, whilst Shigeru usually kept to himself and occasionally made a dark joke or two.

Of course, the Supreme Commander looked down on them with his usual cold detachment which occasionally veered into "aloofness" every now and again. Though the staff of NERV were grateful for the salary he provided, and the importance of their jobs…no one liked him. Even Section-2, some of the scariest people Maya knew, probably felt no love for their immediate superior. And vice versa.

 _He didn't even flinch when the 6_ _th_ _Seraph almost burned his son to a crisp…his own child. What sort of a man is that?_

It was troubling, to know the one at the heart of the world's protection could be so heartless. Maybe steel was required in some way, survival at any cost and whatnot. But if humanity cast aside its…humanity…simply to keep on living…was survival worth it?

They continued to play, quietly observing one another for any signs of tension or uneasiness. Whilst Maya was almost always these things in such games, the other 2 knew well enough that she didn't let it interfere with her considerable intellect.

All of a sudden, Makoto began to look quite cocky and confident, something he only did when he was winning…

Shigeru guessed the danger, and folded as quickly as he could. In this game, one should always bug out before things went wrong. This left only Maya and Makoto, the latter of whom, as the contest came to an end, was proven to have an incredibly weak hand.

"Gah, _kuso kurae_!" Shigeru exploded as Makoto roared with laughter at him. The Otaku could bluff, and bluff well when he wanted to. Said laughter soon died down, when both men realised what that meant. Whilst Makoto maintained a smile, Shigeru looked as if his world was now falling apart.

"No." He whispered, horrified, as Maya scooped up all her winnings. The young woman smiled a sweet smile, one of gloating and genuine delight.

"Yes." She nodded, beaming all the while. In a world that had seen so much misery and loss, it was most telling of mankind's spirit when even in this age…there was laughter.


	52. 13:1 The Eclipse begins

" _Our future is just beginning,_ _ **theirs is dying**_ _. It is simply not enough to break free of Europe's shackles…we must break them! We must, we_ _ **will**_ _, ensure that the pages of their history shall burn with their cities._

 _Hail Britain."_

 _ **Sebastian Vance: 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **Grand High Marshal and 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **Emperor of the Great British Empire, 21**_ _ **st**_ _ **of March 2005, Downing street address.**_

XXX

 _Thursday the 10_ _th_ _of August, 9:30am, Challenger Deep_

No mortal could see within this darkness nor survive such deep depths. Sahaquiel, however, last born of Yesod, was a Divine. To a Lord among demi-gods such conditions were paltry, lethal only to the weak and feeble.

The Divine was a large man, made so by fat instead of muscle. He was something of a glutton who enjoyed the pleasures of taste and chewing more so than the combat his brethren craved. Let other lunatics drink the blood of their enemies from harvested skulls, he would have roast meat fresh off the bone and a flagon of mead to wash it all down. With that, a roaring fire and tales to tell, what more could anyone ask for?

If one were to take away his double chin and bulging belly, Sahaquiel would be the spitting image of Rogziel. Though his plate armour was a more traditional polished steel instead of the famous red his elder brother had worn, it was the same type. All his siblings who shared his father had something unique about their taste in clothing, their individuality being encouraged by their lost mother and adoptive father.

Sachiel valued his protection but not enough to impede sword play, therefore his plate was lacking. Chain mail over gambeson with cape discarded was his preferred attire for war, anything more he'd consider extravagant.

Shamshel liked having his arms free, to slash with reckless abandon. Yet his armour was the same red as Rogziel's, indicative of the two's furious nature even by the standards of their warlike race.

Ramiel had worn no plate, mail, or gambeson, often declaring that it would "weigh her down." A crystal blue cape, always adorning her shoulders, was the most protection the swift huntress possessed.

Ot important occasions, Gaghiel would don the standard armour and cream cape. However, he would wear his tunic any chance he could get. As one so fond of the water, Gaghiel preferred as little barriers between it and him as possible.

Israfel and Isrefael had covered their full sets of armour in green paint, the same colour as that of the Royal army. It was a symbol of how they fought side by side with both each other and the common soldier. Their only distinguishing factor was their beautiful, flowing white capes.

Rogziel, however… he found comfort in his armour, wearing it as though it was a second skin. It was expected of a man who favoured martial prowess above all else.

Sahaquiel's own cape was a beauteous gold, made of the finest materials possible. He would settle for nothing less. Alas, the Vooren would not be able to appreciate its splendour. By dusk, Gods willing, they would be crushed before him, unable to revel in its intricacies.

Memories of old feasts, hunts, fights and laughter made his blood boil and his great heart heavy. Such treasured thoughts brought both joy and pain in equal measure.

 _Oh my brothers…my sister…how I miss you._ He frowned. The hall of his father felt darker and less merry by the day.

The large Divine went down on one knee, bracing himself for the sudden rush as he'd push upwards. Channelling his wall of light behind him to build up pressure, feeling the energy of his forebears coursing through his mighty veins, Sahaquiel the Eclipse shot to the surface.

XXX

 _10:00am, NERV Central_

"Am I ever going to have time?" Ritsuko wondered aloud. Rubbing her forehead, she slowly set her eyes upon that damnable paperwork on her desk. It was a bureaucratic parasite, draining her and never going away.

Such was the hand dealt to all pencil pushers. Even black holes paled in comparison to requisition forms.

Once upon a time, she had extra space and extra hands to help with the workload. Then, she left Gendo and decided to move to a workplace far removed from the man.

The cost? No extra hands to help with work. Every once in a while, Ritsuko wondered if her newfound workload was Gendo's way of getting revenge.

 _At least I was able to bring the coffee machine with me._ Her lips pressed into a smile.

Her thoughts returned to a more pressing matter: traveling to Norway sooner or later. Having someone with her would draw less eyes, but who? Who would travel such a distance with her, at her request?

This was no short trip; this was of transcontinental proportions, not to mention the fact that the location in question was an _Imperial_ province.

A light tapping on her office door brought the Sub Commander out of her moment of thought. Ritsuko gently lifted her head, her eyebrows knitting together. They relaxed when her mind remembered only one person knocked on her door that way.

"Come in, Ayanami-san." She beckoned her visitor in. The door slid open and Rei Ayanami entered.

Ritsuko placed all her attention upon the ethereal girl who'd become a not so small part of her life. In spite of knowing that Rei was in NERV Central today for medical matters, a visit from her was low on the list of what she expected.

"Sub Commander Akagi." Rei nodded politely. A little part of the faux blonde felt slight disappointment, hearing from Section-2 that the clone was starting to use honorifics with those around her. Doubtlessly, this had been inspired and encouraged by one Shinji Ikari, the Commander's son. Ritsuko could only presume him to be of great moral fibre and goodness, a polar opposite to his father in nearly every way.

 _It's just a shame…she'll probably never use them with me…_

"What can I do for you?" She leaned forward earnestly.

The albino stood there, looking downwards and moving her lips to a silent rhythm. Unless Ritsuko was mistaken, the young woman was having trouble finding the right words.

"I…I am seeking advice." Rei whispered.

"About what? Please, take a seat." Ritsuko gestured at a nearby plastic chair. She wish she had more comfortable furniture for Rei, but these were trying times for her.

As usual, however, Rei didn't mind. Immediately sittting down, the girl began shifting in her chair, like she was almost _fidgeting._

"Sub-Commander...how does one properly show affection in a platonic manner?"

"Oh." Ritsuko found herself stumped. She was one of the world's best scientists. EVA was her forte, not love. Her old "relationship" with Gendo was testament to that.

Wincing at her recollection, she attempted to speak. "Amongst our people, we use...different honorifics depending who's with us or behave differently. A casual hello is certainly a start." At her response, Rei's gaze seemed to become piercing, causing Ritsuko to wince even further.

"Hey, I'm not good with this sort of thing. Misato-chan would be a much better-"

"But I am asking _you_." The albino's intensity ceased to abate.

Sighing, Ritsuko scratched the back of her head. "Is this about Ikari-san?"

Rei nodded. "...Shinji...yes."

Ritsuko blinked in surprise. Rei referring to others by their first name was unheard of, the one exception being the night of the operation against the Sixth Seraph. Clearly, the son of Gendo Ikari meant a great deal to the girl.

This conclusion didn't draw much of a reaction from Ritsuko though. She'd always theorized that clones could inherit aspects of their "parent," like their memories, affection, or personality to the some extent. In theory, the third would be present enough to give Rei an innate fondness for Shinji. Based on her findings, Rei had taken after Yui Ikari's curious side. The late scientist's curious nature was befitting of one of her station.

 _Hmm…death…if only the universe were so kind. I have few records of what you were like, so I don't really know you…but you didn't deserve that. No one does._

"…I presume your _platonic_ feelings are of a familial nature?" Ritsuko's lips lifted into a slight smile as Rei nodded.

"Affirmative."

"Well...my mother and I didn't exactly have the best relationship...but I would suggest being pleasant and making time for him. The occasional hug goes a long way too. However, more importantly, has Ikari-san reciprocated your feelings?" The answer was all too obvious, but obtaining Rei's perspective on that matter was crucial.

"Affirmative," Rei mechanically confirmed.

"Alright. For starters, keep gifts to occasions like his birthday and Christmas. He probably feels that you don't owe him that much, so limiting that would be prudent." Ritsuko had searched up his psych evaluation, what Marduk had on him, and knew Shinji wasn't demanding. That just wasn't him. "Just...do for him what he does for you."

Rei's face somewhat scrunched in confusion, her eyebrows knitting together. To Ritsuko, it was one of the cutest things she ever had the pleasure of seeing.

"But...I already do a good fifty percent of that, perhaps even more."

"Then you don't have too much of an issue. Deal with the rest of that percent and you're good. Not only that, but for all its complexities, affection is easier to show than you'd think." The faux blonde was surprising herself with what came out of her mouth. Her relations with Gendo Ikari was undeniable proof that she understood nothing about love. She did, however, deal in facts and the fact was that people could be just as kind as they were cruel.

"May I ask you a question, Ayanami-san?"

The clone in question nodded, acquiescing with Ritsuko's request. "Of course, Sub-Commander Akagi."

"...if you really wanted to do something, but had a lot of work to do first, how would you go about doing it?"

"I would attempt to make time. Therefore, I would spend as much time as needed for my assigned work so as to free up the time I wish to use. Is this answer satisfactory?"

Running a hand through her hair, Ritsuko sighed, preparing herself for a very long day.

Unknowing of Ritsuko's troubles, Rei blinked nonchalantly. "Sub- Commander?"

"Your answer was satisfactory. Looks like I'll be here till dark."

"There is something you wish to do?"

"Yes...something very, _very_ important."

Rei politely nodded and stood up. "I see. Good day. I wish you luck in your endeavor, Sub-Commander Akagi. I shall now go to school."

"Likewise, Ayanami-san." Ritsuko gave a polite nod of the head. The albino returned the gesture, disappearing through the door.

Ritsuko was now, once again, alone. She already missed the company.

XXX

 _12:30pm, Sengokuhara High_

"Wow…sounds like one hell of a day." Toji mused with a hint of grimness. Shinji sighed quietly, as if he were some old man recalling a long past battle.

"I'm…I'm not allowed to say much else." He shifted in his chair, unable to take his mind off what he saw that day. He'd looked the enemy in the eye and found an all too human gaze staring back at him with ferocious intensity.

"That sounds awesome. Wish I could've been there…" Kensuke huffed.

"You? Hah, a Seraph would rip you limb from limb before you could even take a picture, Aida-san." Said a voice the small group weren't too familiar with. Looking up, they saw Mana sitting at the desk directly behind them, calmly booting her built in computer up.

 _Has she moved?_ Shinji's eyebrows knitted together, having known the classroom's original redhead was usually one to sit at the back. Not this close…

"Kirishima-san, what brings you into our neck of the woods?" Toji raised a not at all unwelcoming eyebrow. Despite the girl having some clear issues with Shinji, all she'd done was push past once, not beat him within an inch of his life. And if his friend could forgive him for that, then things could perhaps be smoothed over with her.

Mana looked at them and shrugged. "Eh, interesting things happen over here. And it's a bit too quiet up in my corner." She admitted with some reluctance. The orphanage she was domiciled in had a bunch of hoodlums, plump yet well-meaning staff and not much else. Boredom and a bit of loneliness had inevitably set in, pushing her to seek some company of any variety.

"Well…" Kensuke paused for a moment, somewhat sceptical. "As long as you don't try to beat up Shinji-san again, then I guess that's alright."

Shinji waved his friend down. "It's alright. That's finished now."

"Yes, it is." Mana added. "Myself and Ikari-san…had a talk about it. It's all in the past now, over and done with." She lied, yet only a little. For Mana knew that resentment would always fester in her heart, yet it was something she could keep under control. It was to be expected of one so used to loss, as if it were an old friend.

"Good. There's not much a bit of civilised conversation can't fix." Hikari stopped as she passed by, book of offenders held firmly to her chest.

"Horaki-san." They all said respectfully to the class rep.

"Good trip?" Shinji asked.

The right side of Hikari's lips quirked upward. "Hmm, not bad. Lovely pools and beaches but the sun did murder to my freckles. And of course, there were all those perverts I had to put in line." She rolled her eyes.

The majority of boys in her class were quite honourable in that regard, yet there were always a few. Not to mention some girls would peep in on what they weren't meant too, which warranted a speaking to on the merits of "privacy."

 _I hate being a teenager. Got to keep my libido and everyone else's under control. I think that's three times I've caught couples doing something…_ _ **indecent**_ _, in the bathrooms._ Hikari shook those thoughts away.

"Well we liked it." Toji smiled with enthusiasm. Those pools and springs had been a joy to relax in, and Kensuke had been like a child in a sweetshop when they toured the military base.

"So many battleships." The geek happily mused, having taken at least one hundred pictures whilst he was there. At one point he'd sworn he'd seen a periscope popping out of the sea, then dismissed it as a symptom of wild imagination. A few minutes later, however, an Atago class Destroyer swept through the area, dropping a depth charge or two.

The audacity of the Chinese would never cease to amaze any child of Japan.

"I heard there was a battle recently." Hikari cut in, twirling one of her pigtails. "That and along with Mount Asama just disappearing, I assume it didn't go exactly as planned?"

Shinji took a slow and deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "Most of it's classified. But yes, things didn't go to plan. We stopped it of course but…really is a shame."

It had all been so picturesque and beautiful before their war came there and destroyed everything. He truly hoped they wouldn't have to level anymore national landmarks during the course of this conflict, fearing for the safety of Mount Fuji itself at this rate.

"Yeah. Saw pictures of that, what the hell were you fighting?" Mana rubbed her arms. What sort of unimaginable power could rend the Earth asunder like that? Even the strength of the Dragons and Gods of myth utterly paled before the terrible and destructive might of the Seraphim.

 _We'd all be dead without Eva. Father told me about that battle with the first one. The military just couldn't stop it, no matter what they threw at it._ She looked at Shinji and felt her features soften.

 _We'd all be dead without Eva. And even deader without the crazy bastards who pilot them._

Meanwhile at the front of the class, two pairs of blue eyes looked upon this small gathering with some amusement and confusion. Samuel tutted and returned to work, trying to figure out some damnable question in the archaic alphabet of the Japanese.

 _Alphabet is a strong way of putting it. These "Kanji", as they are called, are just outright barbaric in their complexity. Why didn't we colonise them back in the 19_ _th_ _century? It would've made my life a lot easier…_ He chuckled a little.

"What's so funny?" Asuka tilted her head.

"Oh, nothing. Quite bizarre though, don't you think?" Samuel nodded at Shinji. "That one so quiet would have a reasonably sized social group?"

Asuka looked over her shoulder and found herself thinking the same. "Jah…it is a bit strange…ah, what am I saying? It's not like he's a horrible person." She shrugged.

"There is that to it I suppose." The Imperial agreed. As much of a wet flannel as he was, Shinji was a not at all hateful individual. He was a bit pathetic at times, but hardly a spineless weasel like so many aristocrats and MPs back home.

"Still, I still don't get how he's got so many Seraph kills. The kid just doesn't seem to have the stomach for it." Asuka couldn't help but keep looking at the soft eyed boy, trying to figure him out.

 _He's such a doormat. Let's everyone walk over him or tell him what to do, like a puppy desperate for approval. He really is stupid Shinji, so annoying…so why…why does he have to be so…_ _ **insufferably**_ _…nice?_ She tore her sapphire gaze away.

"One, he's older than you, Asuka. Face it, here you're the baby of the group." Samuel raised a hand to placate his redhaired friend's wrath. "And two, he's been here longer than we have. Of course, that'll change…I'll surpass him soon enough."

The redhead scoffed at that. "You? Nein nein nein. I'll be doing that, thank you very much." Asuka proudly put her hand on her chest.

"Hmm. Well I've actually got one whilst you…oh my, not a single kill yet." Samuel quietly laughed at his friend's face turning red enough to hide her freckles.

"Wh…wha…well which one was that!"

"8th Seraph, I believe I put in the finishing blow, therefore that kill goes to me."

Asuka's eye twitched. "Just you wait. I'll put you all to shame. I'm the Eva pilot elite here, I trained all my verdammt life-"

"As did I."

"…not saying you aren't capable. I'm just saying I'm the best."

"Evidence, thou hath forsaken me!"

"Ugh, I hate you, dummkopf."

"Love you too, Asuka."

"Do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Stubborn? Hah, that's a bit rich. From the moment we met, **you've** been the stubborn one."

"Well your memory clearly isn't up to scratch then. You were the one who came swaggering in as some Imperial aristocrat with an important surname."

"Confirmation of one's social superiority is hardly stubbornness, Asuka."

"Gah!"

XXX

 _New German Reich, Berlin, Tegel Airport,11:30am, May 9_ _th_ _2010_

 _Asuka, at age 9, had already shown herself to be a remarkable girl. Fluency in three languages, always fighting fit, and being a student "ace" certainly didn't provide evidence to the contrary. She was known as a child genius amongst her teachers for good reason. Unlike most children her age, she didn't play or indulge herself with sweets. Oh no, her time was spent on becoming part of a prestigious few, the elite of the elite: Eva Pilots._

 _The Kaiser's hatred and near disapproval of Asuka's desire baffled the young girl. She was proving herself to be the very best. By progressing towards Pilothood, the many important eyes of the world would remain on her and no one else. Should he not be proud of that? Why did he keep asking her about "what NERV put her through" or "Had she made any friends yet"?_

 _Regardless, Rudolf Von Hohenzollern was a man who had her trust. His reasons for hating NERV, however, were a mystery to her. Mama worked for them, so they couldn't be that bad, right?_

 _"This is a very important matter. We need you to be on your best behavior," NERV-Berlin's Commander said to Asuka from on high. At that, she scowled, cursing her body's oh so_ _slow_ _development. It would take her years to even approach and possibly surpass his height. The day she could look down on her father would be a treasured one._

 _Her gaze stayed where it was in a slight show of displeasure, though she would do as she was told. The importance of this matter needed to be taken into consideration._

 _From her position on Tegal's runway, Asuka silently focused on the HMS Culloden, that vast, black dagger of a ship hovering above. Today was a clear one, but the ship, an Imperial FCV, blotted out the sun she so loved. It was a symbol of Britain's domination...and her country's humiliation. For that, it was deserving of hatred in the young girl's eyes._

The Reich rebounded well from the Euro-Imperial War, standing today as a power in its own right. However, the mere fact that this Renown class Battlecruiser could serenely hover in Berlin airspace made clear who was the greater sovereign power here. The multiple Von Moltke class FCVs, harsh and gunmetal grey, surrounding and outnumbering it did little to disprove that.

 _The fact that her new "coworker," hailing from the land she considered an enemy, was aboard it only added to her annoyance._

 _A single, streamlined Harrier emerged from the Culloden's forward hangar, curving through the air on a landing trajectory. It had to have been him, this "Samuel," on board. Asuka had read of Samuel's results; he possessed a high synch ratio and proved to be capable in combat sim after combat sim. This only rankled her further. She was the center of attention here, not some Imperial dummkopf._

 _The Harrier's engines angled into a landing stage, the exhaust billowing up palls of dust. Asuka's great mane of red moved with abandon, the exhaust's sheer force having produced a wind. Haircuts, at her demand, were forbidden unless necessary. She would have her hair long...just like Mama's._

 _The ramp lowered and five figures came forth, four of which were Imperial soldiers in elegant garments. They marched forward, rifles tightly held and their charge standing between them._

 _While not nearly as gaudy as his guard, he was quite well dressed. Vibrant, blonde hair waved about in the generated wind, framing twin pools of blue every bit as electric as her own. Those eyes, upon landing on her form, narrowed. Perhaps it was instantaneous dislike or distaste at seeing someone so un-British._

 _The entourage and their Imperial charge came to a halt in front of the NERV-Berlin delegation, the soldiers standing straighter than most Section-3 agents. In spite of their discipline and conditioning, they paused a little at the sight of the fiery redhead. Their charge, on the other hand, maintained his expression._

 _Undaunted, Samuel addressed Asuka in stiff High Imperial. "Asuka Soryu."_

 _"That's Asuka Zeppelin Soryu to you,_ _Imperial_ _," harshly and loudly corrected Asuka in the boy's own language. Her eyes met Samuel's narrowed orbs, sending a palpable sense of anger. Her father winced, but she did not care for it._

 _Samuel's expression relaxed into a contemptuous smirk. It seemed that arrogance came to him naturally. "I suppose it's in the nature of continentals to be impudent and rude. I assume you are familiar with my name?"_

 _Asuka did not deign his response with words, silently glaring at the young Imperial. Her father almost grimaced and stepped forward, sweat on his brow._

" _My deepest apologies for my daughter's rudeness, Samuel Meadow. We are honoured to have you here as our guest. My name is Peter Langbein, the Commander of-" he bit his tongue when Samuel raised a hand._

 _"Spare me your bootlicking, you babbling woman." The boy sighed with practiced grace unlike most children his age, paying no mind to Asuka stifling a snigger. "If you would show me to my quarters and fill me in on our schedule, I would be most obliged."_

 _Samuel swept forward, gracefully skirting around Asuka. The girl's father scrambled after him, almost tripping over himself to grovel at his feet. To Asuka, this was nothing new. Her father was all too concerned with getting in the good graces of others._

 _Amusing as his humiliation of her father was, Samuel was still competition. And she would let no one get in the way of becoming a Pilot._

 _Asuka looked daggers at the Imperial's back, snarling to herself. "Sorry, Imp. I'm the centre of attention around here because I earned it. And I'll leave you in pieces before I let you take that away from me."_

 _Eva was all that mattered, the only way_ _she_ _mattered. It was the only way she could garner the eyes of all and get others to truly look at her. In some ways, Eva was the only thing Asuka had left and now, with the arrival of this Imperial, this Samuel Meadow? She would defend her domain with ferocity and cut him down to size. Son of the "Great" British Empire's High Field Marshal or not, Samuel was naught but a rival to tear to pieces in her eyes; nothing more and nothing less._

XXX

"Stand!" Hikari called out as Mr. Sisata entered. All but the two Westerners near the front of the room bowed and sat once more, as per tradition. Most would label it disrespect, but Sisata and Hikari knew their behavior for what it was: standard Gaijin "barbarity."

"Afternoon everyone," called out Sisata. The man was full of cheer in spite of the all-nighter he had to pull to prepare his lesson. His advanced age did little to dim his joy for teaching either.

"As you all know, we are turning our attention to the People's Republic of Korea today. This will lead us nicely into the People's Republic of Asia. I see you've all got your notes, well done," he noted with satisfaction.

Most students in the room had their computers booted up and ready with documents. A few, notably the Westerners and one or two of his other students, favoured the age-old method of using paper.

"Now then," Sisata began as he launched into the lesson, his passion. "Up until November 2001, Korea was a divided country. The North and the South, Communist and Capitalist respectively, fought a long conflict known as the Korean War. In the end, it was with the aid of the Chinese that North Koreans defeated their southern brethren. With Second Impact, combined with the loss of all its allies, the South collapsed in a matter of weeks-"

Harsh, shrill sounds began screaming across Tokyo-3, bringing the lesson to a stop. Classroom doors throughout the school opened and footsteps could be heard pounding through the halls. Sisata winced, pinching his nose in annoyance.

 _A Seraph attack? Can't these damned monsters wait until the end of the lesson? The education of my students is important!_

"Class dismissed. Everyone to your shelters." Sighing, his gaze flicked over to the three charges of NERV, still at their desks. "I'm sure your minders will arrive shortly. Wait outside the school entrance."


	53. 13:2 To the Sky

There had been no briefing. The moment the Eva Pilots arrived they were thrust into their "steeds" and deployed immediately. The Rapid Homeland Defence System was carrying them off to wherever they were needed.

Shinji sat in his plug, shifting a little. As usual he was afraid. The boy was absolutely convinced the day would never come when he'd be free of fear. Always it would nag at the back of his mind and the pit of his stomach.

That was alright though. He'd managed to fight and beat Seraphim many times before, even whilst afraid. Now of course there were four Evangelions to be set loose upon the enemy. Mercifully, the other three of his number were far more competent and less cowardly than himself.

They all looked so calm on the vid-link, either that or bored. Rei appeared to be napping, Asuka was tapping a finger and Samuel was whistling. Oh, how he wished to be as professional as they.

A hologram flicked into life just in front of Shinji and the rest of the Eva Pilots. Misato stood there in a blue haze, a 3D map of Japan in front of her. Directly above the landmass was a massive sphere descending from on high. Its trajectory would bring it directly down on their heads.

"As you can see-" The purple haired woman said in a military manner, arms folded. "-the enemy is coming directly our way. Its likely goal is to punch straight through Tokyo-3 and into Central Dogma. If that happens, it's game over for everything and everyone."

The four children of Eva appraised the hologram, looking to gain as much information on their target as possible. As would be expected of soldiers.

 _Not too far from professional…you're doing good, Pilots. Doing damn good._ The Lieutenant Colonel had to force down an approving smile.

"Is this to scale?" Shinji squinted, praying he was wrong. His superior officer shook her head reluctantly.

"I'm afraid so. The tenth Seraph is about five kilometres in length, meaning that an impact at terminal velocity-"

"Extinction level event, or close enough to it." Asuka interjected, frowning. "It wouldn't matter if we killed it, this verdammt monster is about half the size of the meteor that killed the Dinosaurs."

"Correct. Nearly word for word what Rits-chan told me." Misato chuckled, never ceasing to be impressed by the intelligence of the youngsters under her command.

"The Seraph's momentum needs to be slowed, or it must be outright obliterated to prevent this. I assume that is our plan?" Rei asked quietly, already pondering on what to do with this foe.

 _Direct ground interception could work, the power of four Evangelion A-T fields may be enough to stop its rate of velocity completely…yet much could go wrong._ She dismissed that thought quickly.

"Yes. We've enlisted the help of the Japanese State Air Force, namely in the form of five Susanoo class FCVs." Misato punched in a command on the hologram, and the figures of five sword shaped vessels flickered into existence. "They will use a positron bombardment to at least slow the Seraph down. However, the key thing is killing it before it gets past ten thousand feet. With its field gone, the JSAF will be able to annihilate its carcass and prevent impact." The hologram quickly showed the five Susanoo's blasting the massive Seraph away.

"Straightforward enough. But…I get the impression the hardest part involves us?" Samuel winced, having a sinking sensation in his heart at the thought of the likely operation parameters.

"Yes. You'll be intercepting the 10th Seraph at fifty thousand feet. The JSAF is loaning us some of their old strato bombers to get you up there." The overgrown child turned soldier admitted, having no pretence over how dangerous this was.

"But that's impossible. Evas interfere with the fields of Aircraft, we'd just fall out of the sky." The redhead cut in with slight alarm. Surely NERV had thought of that when making this plan, even they weren't that stupid.

"These are petroleum powered planes. They'll work for us."

"But carrying us? That's going to use fuel up at quite a rate. Range won't be very far on those bombers…our interception is going to have to be perfect." Samuel's brow wrinkled, hating the miniscule odds of success. He'd do his duty to the Empire regardless of feelings and give his life if required. Senseless sacrifices however, were just something he couldn't agree with.

"It's risky, but it's all we've got. And I trust you all to do your utmost…which more than usually is enough." Misato felt her cross hang a little more heavily than usual around her neck. It was a reminder of that which drove her and overwhelmed her moral qualms with this job.

Yet it was not as if said qualms didn't plague her dreams.

"Yes, ma'am." The Children of Eva said, or gave their own tongue's approximations of.

"Alright then. Good luck, Pilots." The hologram of their superior officer flickered away, giving a last quick salute.

 _Flying, again? Shit, shit, shit…I just have to deal with it._ Shinji already felt ill inside at the thought of being off ground again. Stopping the Seraphim took precedence over any nausea though. He grit his teeth and tightened his grip around Unit 01's control sticks.

"Scared of flying, Third?" Asuka grinned from her end of the vid-link. The meek young man bit back a curse, having forgotten that his colleagues could see him.

"A…a little…" He murmured.

"Ikari-kun appears to have air sickness of a sort. He vomited quite vigorously during our flight out to initially meet you aboard the Seydlitz." Rei concisely and quietly answered the unsaid question.

"Oh." The fiery girl leaned back, her grin wavering a little. Fear of flight was ridiculous to her. Where else was one freer than the air after all? Disliking flight due to air sickness, however, was another matter entirely. "Sucks to be you, dummkopf. But at least you have an actual reason for it." She raised a mocking eyebrow at Samuel.

The Imperial, who'd paled significantly by now, his previous bravado having vanished, scoffed.

"Of course, I've got a bloody legitimate reason for it!" He shifted uncomfortably.

"You're a pussy when it comes to flying, Sam. Just accept it." Asuka chuckled, eliciting a smile from Shinji.

"No I'm not! I just like having my feet on the ground as Mother Nature intended!" The blonde aristocrat threw his arms up in the air. All aside from him seemed humoured by this, with even Rei giving a microscopic rise of the eyebrows.

The German Countess drummed her fingers for a few moments, then sighed in mock regret. "Hate to say, but I can't hold your hand this time, Fourth. You'll have to be a big boy today."

Both herself and Shinji openly laughed at this. Rei couldn't help but let her lips rise at the Imperial's reddened face.

" **Oh bugger off!"** Samuel roared.

* * *

Sitting in his command chair above all, Gendo Ikari watched the operation's first phase unfold. Five Susanoo class Battleships assumed position in the blue yet darkened sky. They angled their bow mounted Positron Canons upwards at the approaching Seraph.

 _Conventional weapons are little match for Seraphim…yet my Combat Operations Director's logic is sound. This should at the very least buy us a few minutes or so._

Resting his chin on his gloved hands, the Supreme Commander beheld those jets of mighty blue energy burst forth from the FCVs. Power equivalent to a hundred kilotons of TNT slammed into the Seraph's field, immediately slowing its descent.

There was applause below. Many staff members must have thought it some sort of miracle. Were he a more emotive man, Gendo would have sighed. Only the illiterate and stupid believed in such things as "miracles." All was planned, all was as according to design.

"Yes…good. Over and out." Far below, the purple haired woman he'd employed put down her phone and turned to face him.

"Sir, the Evas are airborne and en route. ETA is four minutes." Misato smartly relayed.

The Supreme Commander nodded. "Is the warhead onboard?"

"Yes, Sir, as per your orders. Although I assure you, our Pilots have this well in hand-" She bit back whatever else she had to say beneath that orange gaze. The Commander was a hard working and stoic man, but he did not tolerate disagreement. "I understand, sir."

Her superior quietly grunted, then refocused on the monitor.

Always one for contingencies, Gendo had put a secondary plan into action from the moment the operation was conceived. Rei had been given an N2 warhead to do with as she would if the Seraph got past ten thousand feet. The detonation would destroy Tokyo-3 and all its inhabitants…but NERV and humanity would be saved; not to mention that his Evas could quite simply survive such a blast.

Silently, he watched Misato go back to her position and talk to some of her own subordinates. What a useful tool he'd found in her. She possessed all the right holes in the soul to slip in the puppet strings. Not only that, but she'd a sound military mind for the most part.

An easily usable and high quality tool…what more could one ask for? Gendo smiled at that.

 _Ah yes. A fine bit of leverage over our "UN Supervisor."_

"Ikari-san." Kozo's gravelly voice caught his attention. The stone hearted man looked up at his old teacher, ready to hear what he had to say. "Sub Commander Akagi reports that experiments are underway with the subject we recovered from the last Seraph encounter."

"The weapon holds a great deal of potential." Gendo agreed.

The sword of the Ninth Seraph had been transported with great difficulty. So great was its mass, it almost took out the RHDS. That wouldn't have been something Motichka would've forgiven in a hurry.

Now however, the blade was in the hands of Naoko Akagi's offspring, who would undoubtedly unlock a secret or two. It had been unfortunate that her use was limited, but alas. A broken chess piece could not make every move one wanted.

"We've got visual!" Lieutenant Hyuga called out. The four JSAF Strato bombers screeched onto the monitor, escorted by dozens of Kazes. Whether or not they and their crew's use would extend beyond "meat shields" remained to be seen.

Hundreds of billions of Yen in equipment, piloted by thousands of Japanese Airmen, filled the screen; NERV's Supreme Commander could not have cared less about them. If they fulfilled their use, their survival was irrelevant.

Instead, the rear bomber carrying Unit 01 was something Gendo intensely fixated on. Yet no thought of his only child ever crossed his obsessive mind.

 _Take care, Yui my dearest. Not long now…not long now…_

* * *

 _ **Delay the inevitable all you will, Vooren. It shall avail you none.**_ Sahaquiel snarled. This pathetic show of defiance was a waste of time, the enemy's fate had long been sealed by now. The only logical choice was capitulation, yet they refused to countenance it. _**Do you not understand? We wish only your subjugation, not your total destruction!**_

 _ **Sahaquiel.**_ Boomed the telepathic voice of Lord Netzach's Fist. _**Calm yourself, remain focused. Your brothers and sisters perished because they were distracted. Do not make that mistake.**_

 _ **I am well aware of how they died, Fist. I let that drive me.**_ The much larger Divine shot back, not in the mood for Haniel's lectures.

The Fist had many qualities, not least his intelligence. Unfortunately, however, he didn't know his place. Always unafraid to speak his mind, Haniel would not have survived in earlier courts. Father, it would seem, had a fondness of the impudent and loud mouthed. This was something many old Rulers of their age never understood; why did this force of nature require the opinions of his inferiors?

This was something Sahaquiel himself pondered, having seen first-hand the power of Netzach. The Divine ethos, that might **always** made right, was the very core of their race. The Royal Fist lacked in might; thus what right did he have to command him?

Tearing his mind away from such distractions, the gluttonous Seraph looked down upon the vessels impeding him. Their power was not half of Ramiel's, yet it was enough to slow him. For what purpose though…were the Vooren buying time for something else to interfere?

 _ **My Heir, to your left.**_ The Fist offered, putting aside the overweight Prince's disdain for him. As one who possessed a rudimentary grasp of what mankind called "telepathy", Haniel could sense the thoughts of others. They hurt quite a bit at times.

 _After all my years of loyalty, you still look down on me for my station. Though you lack his malice, you really are Yesod's son._ The Fist pushed his feelings away.

Glancing in the indicated direction, Sahaquiel saw four large craft coming his way, flanked by dozens of VTOLs. In those huge swept wing Strato-Bombers, he sensed four individual sources of powerful energy.

 _ **I see you, Knights of NERV.**_ The Eclipse snarled. In all their benevolence, the Gods had offered him vengeance on a silver platter; he would not refuse them.

* * *

"Hey." Asuka's voice caught the attention of all but one, ironically who it was directed at. Having gone white as a ghost, Samuel kept licking his lips and squeezing his control sticks. To Shinji's eyes, he looked terrified.

"Sam." Trying again with softness yet unheard, the redhead got his attention. He looked at her face on the vid-link, shame all too apparent. "Feeling alright?"

"No." The aristocrat shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

Shinji tilted his head. The cocky, arrogant and humourful nature of the Imperial had evaporated the moment they were airborne. Fortunately for himself, his Eva had never felt more comfortable and thus he didn't feel ill.

"Deep breaths, relax." Somehow, Asuka's tone was stern yet soft. "You're in an Eva. No matter how high you fall, you won't get hurt. A-T fields are good for that kind of thing."

Breathing as deeply as he could, Samuel smiled sadly. "I'm sorry. It's not helping too much."

"Not to intrude or anything, but what's going on here?" Curiosity piqued, Shinji couldn't help himself. He'd simply never seen the Imperial Major this shaken before.

"I…" The Second Child's sapphire gaze had more than a hint of concern. It was as if she wanted to put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't think that's my place to say."

"Meadow-san appears to suffer from Acrophobia." Rei calmly observed, all eyes turning on her. "Am I correct?"

In total resignation, Samuel sighed and nodded his head. "Yes…yes…very astute."

"What does Acrophobia mean?" Shinji pressed on. That word was alien to his tongue.

"Fear of heights." Asuka answered him. "As in chronic. A phobia is an irrational, all-consuming fear you can't do scheisse about."

"Oh…"

"Jah."

The blonde aristocrat ran a hand through his hair and winced in embarrassment. "It won't get in the way of what we have to do. I can just about cope with it these days."

"There's no shame in being scared, Samuel-san. Means you've got your wits about you." Shinji chuckled gently. It was a sobering thought to know others, no matter how well trained, felt fear as he did.

 _Heh, the girls are making us look like delicate flowers. Rei doesn't really understand and Asuka…I think fear is afraid of her._ He pushed those thoughts aside when his hud started flashing.

Immediately accessing it, the meek boy was met with a vid link from Misato. Soon enough, she was patched into the other pilots' comms.

" _Alright, Pilots. You are now in visual range of the Seraph and will be engaging shortly. From here on out, we will be maintaining constant communications with you via radio."_ She smartly relayed.

"Then what is the point of a hologram call, if that is the case?" Rei pondered aloud, her emotionally stunted mind struggling to understand.

To that, the purple haired woman raised an eyebrow and the right side of her lips. _"Courtesy call of course. Besides…I wanted to see how you were holding up."_ She frowned at Samuel.

Meeting her gaze, the Imperial forcibly retook control of his features. "Just a childish fear, ma'am. It won't be an issue."

" _You're a tough guy, Samuel-kun. You'll do just fine."_ Her smile broadened at his sigh.

"What is it with you people and your honorifics? They are utterly unnecessary at the best of times."

"To be fair, Samuel-san, your culture's _lack_ of honorifics is just as strange to us." Feeling a need to stand up for his culture, Shinji cut in.

A little too pale to debate the matter, the Imperial raised a weak eyebrow and let the subject drop. A lecture on the Empire's glory and mission to civilise the world would have to be for another day.

Rei quietly observed the exchange and ruminated on it. She'd listened to both mind and words, to understand their positions as best she could.

 _So different. Not only are they from opposite sides of the world, they are separated by history and culture; Britain and Japan could not be more unalike in many regards. The same logic can be applied to Germany…_ The albino had been feeling the shimmers of Asuka's thoughts, recognizing faint bemusement. Not the same cultural superiority felt by either Shinji or Samuel, but derived from culture nonetheless. The redhead saw the Japanese way of life as strange. _Culture, Nationhood…these falsehoods divide humanity. The Commander's Scenario shall liberate all from these imaginary lines._

A sudden series of massive jolts slammed into their craft. What sounded like a flak bombardment roared around them, followed by the Strato-bombers pulling evasive manoeuvres. Shinji had to grip his control sticks tighter than ever before, only just forcing back the nausea rolling through his stomach.

" _It's opening fire?"_ Sounding incredulous, the Children of Eva weren't sure if Misato was talking to them or herself. _"Prepare for immediate action, Pilots!"_

"Got anymore advice for us, Misato?" Asuka grit her teeth, adrenaline and excitement pumping through her veins.

" _Yes. Keep yourselves safe…"_ Fumbling with her words for a moment, the purple head forced a smile. " _we'll go out for dinner tonight, you'll all have earned it."_ The hologram faded away.

" _We're coming in hot, prepare for deployment, eta fifteen seconds."_ Their wing commander barked, his hand on the lever to open his bomb doors. Directly flying over was out of the question, but they could use momentum to throw the Evas at the enemy.

Forcing his breath under control, Shinji flinched when a massive shudder rolled through his bomber. An engine had been strafed…along with the cockpit.

There was coughing over his private comms for a moment, his own bomber pilot attempting to get in touch. _"Damage is critical, we're deploy-"_ The coughing grew wet and violent, downing out all other words.

Acting on impulse, the Third Child's eyes widened. "What about you, are you alright-" before he could finish, the bomb doors had been thrown open. The Strato-Bomber pulled sharply to the left and released the clamps holding Unit 01. In the blink of an eye, he was hurtling through the blue sky towards the Tenth Seraph.

Behind him, his bomber fell apart under the stress of its maneuverer and the deadly accuracy of the Seraph; not one of its Pilots ejected.


	54. Announcement and Q&A

Well, bugger, I've made quite a mess.

As you've no doubt noticed, my updating pattern of late has been both erratic and almost non-existent. This is partly down to my own laziness, but mostly because of a realization that I haven't known what to do with.

I did not plan this out properly.

I had the plot mostly figured out (until my proof reader pointed out how daft some of my ideas were), but I fell flat on my face with the characters, and in some respects the world building. Fact is, I didn't get a notepad and put down character arcs or very important details about the world. This coupled with the sheer size of what Sovereignty would have become, has left me with an oil pan fire I frantically tried to put out, only to burn the bloody house down.

The truth of Benjamin Franklin's words (despite being an arch traitor to the Crown. _**The matter of 1776 will be settled!**_ ) have become utterly apparent to me. _"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."_

The same is to be said of all my current fics. I was overly enthusiastic and thought I'd got things mostly under control, but as I've explained…I really didn't.

On top of everything else, I've had a change in outlook on life. Beforehand I never thought I'd amount to much with writing, having an attitude of "that'll do" and starting out fics to "fix" things I hated. Now, since I undertook a huge change in my lifestyle that has lost me almost two stone in weight, "that'll do" simply won't suffice. As a writer, I'll never be entirely happy with my work, but I want to feel a tinge of satisfaction when I'm about to put up a new chapter. Not to mention my fics aren't merely "fixes" anymore; I feel they've blossomed into their very own things, which again requires a discarding of the "that'll do" attitude.

They deserve better.

Does this mean, however, that Sovereignty will go on the same pile as Nobody Dies or Shinji and Warhammer 40k? Of course not, giving up is for wusses. This is no announcement of a hiatus, this is a declaration of rebirth.

Henceforth, I am restarting all of my fics so I may give them the thought and love they deserve. Through this I can give you, my dear readers, the higher quality you deserve. Coupled with an improvement in my prose (after a few years of writing that becomes inevitable) and a recognition that "bigger is not more" (so that'll mean smaller chapters) we may have something just about decent on our hands.

However, this will take time. I want to spend a year thinking things through and writing, before I'd like to present my reforged fics. This doesn't mean I am going silent, far from it. From now, 5th August 2018 to 5th August 2019, I will be doing a monthly Q and A. Not only will your glorious Emperor answer your questions as best he can, he'll give you updates on progress and snippets of what is to come.

The first Q and A is what you see before you.

Before you ask any questions though, some further information. As part of Evangelion Sovereignty's restructuring, it will no longer be called that.

I brought up a while back that I intended to try and split the behemoth story into four "books," and I shall run with this idea. The series shall be called "Sovereignty of Evangelion," and the four books shall be as follows.

 ** _Arrival_**

 ** _Wrath_**

 ** _Testing_**

 ** _Culmination_**

I'm planning for each one to come in at under two hundred thousand words, but there could be exceptions to this.

All my fics will be getting an update such as what you've just read, and I'll put it up in all the places they are posted. I refuse to just vanish off the face of the Earth and leave you in the dark.

Now, I am equipped with knowledge from past mistakes, a better understanding of the writing craft due to reading quite a few books on the matter, and a proof reader (an irritable and uncompromisingly blunt grammar Nazi who's somehow managed to put up with me. Otherwise known as, _precisely_ what I need). With all this in hand, what else could this project meet with but at least some modicum of success?

By the way, the Q and A bit begins now. Fire away, my dear readers!


	55. Second Monthly Q&A

Well it's a little bit late, but the Monthly Q and A is here. I am delighted to inform you the first few chapters are in the preliminary stages of completion and the sheer amount of unnecessary wording I've chopped out is staggering. The first chapter on its own has been practically cut in half. The world has been given an overhaul, less "Super States" and more "Superpowers with a variety of other smaller nations" and the geopolitics are more solidified than they were in the original. Things have been renamed (S2 Engines, Cores, etcetera have become Manmitsu Reactors. A-T fields have become Hawking Fields and so forth.) There is also the addition of HMAC's (Humanoid Mechanized Armoured Cavalry) which are basically mecha of a military nature. Energy weapons and rail guns are more common, the latter becoming a standard fire arm for infantry across the world. In short, technology is a bit more advanced here.

The Seraphim have received an overhaul and a half, right down to the number of appearances they make (I'm treating you to _**four**_ Seraph battles in Arrival instead of three). I've also built the foundations of their mythos, history, cultures, and a far better realized language (they are the Duarudh now, instead of "Gettolfgar" or a mouthful like that). Said language takes a basis in something like Old Norse, whilst having evolved into something like Gaelic. And that's just for the "Usinrudh" variety of them, there'll be three other Duarudh cultures.

The plot of the first book is almost entirely hashed out now, only requiring some finer details. We're looking at about fifty chapters or so (aren't I good to you) with plenty of sumptuous lore, far better worked out character arcs and some superior prose to what I had two years ago when I first wrote this.

Now, there were some replies to my last update in the review section, and I shall address them. This is a Q and A after all.

(This one is from a chap called "Seeking Professional Help) _It is a shame to hear that you feel the need to restart this story, but it is your decision. I just hope you don't delete this story and leave it up, since even a story you are not happy with has something to offer someone._

 _While I like that authors are concerned about the quality of their ideas and stories, but I do think there are times when holding such high standards for themselves becomes a hindrance. It is fanfiction, so don't take it too seriously._

Tis a shame, but it wouldn't be happening if I'd been sensible and planned things accordingly. Hopefully, that mistake won't happen again. As you can tell with likely some relief, this story hasn't been taken down and neither will it be. It shall sit here forever as part of my "portfolio of work" if you will.

Oh absolutely, one can be too much of a perfectionist and grind everything to a halt (looking at you, GRR Martin) but there was not only that aspect to it. I really had not thought some things through and neglected one too many characters in terms of development. On top of that, whilst this tale has become a passion project, I do aspire to be an author someday. Fanfiction provides a very useful testing and proving ground from which to improve myself.

Hopefully you find this satisfactory.

(Now this chap is a "Guest" as far as Fanfic is concerned. He has however, left some quite nice reviews for me in the past.) _Okay not going to lie I am majorly dissapointed that this fic will not only take a while to get beack on track and then only for a rewrite. However this is your story and if you feel that is what it takes to tell it in full I wish you all the luck. I do hope that you will at least leave this story posted as is, I like rereading stories, this one among them. Who knows maybe through a rewrite you will manage to gather more readers, the low number of reviews and followers for this story always buffeld me, especially when I look around and see the numbers for other fanfics of lets say lower quality._

 _As for your restructuring. Naming the series Sovereignty of Evangelion is a good title, if lucking in originality considering what you started with. Arrival and Wrath also seem decent names for the first two books, Testing and Culmination sound horrible and I strongly recomend thinking of alternate titles. Don't have any pressing questions now (or at least non that wouldn't massively spoil the story) but I plan to reread this fic at some point, by then I probably will have some. Good luck with the writing._

I am sorry for making you feel that way. In fact to this day I somewhat kick myself over not planning things out properly, but oh well, things are what they are. As I have said to the chap above, this story isn't going anywhere; you have my word. That is partially what I am hoping for in terms of the rewrite. I am certain it was my erratic upload schedule that resulted in not much attention. I've got no one but myself to blame in that regard.

Glad you think so, it does its job as a title quite nicely in my view (and has a hidden meaning that is relevant to the story, but shhh spoilers) After doing some brainstorming with the aid of my proof reader, I have come up with two different names for the last two installments. How does "Tribulation" and "Truth" sound to you? I look forward to what questions you have upon reading through again. Worry not, I need no luck (sacrificed a few lambs on the alter of Tolkein, should help me out :D) but thank you anyway.

Right, next time we convene I should have some lovely snippets for you all and I think I'll show off some bits of character sheets as well. Until then, my dear readers!

If any of you have questions, fire away.


	56. Third Monthly Q&A

Well, this is a bit bloody overdue! I have no excuses (aside from helping my mum move some things around in her sitting room. She was having a new carpet put down, you see) First off, I fear one of the promises I made last time I'll have to renege on. In specific where I said, "I'd put up some character notes", because I reckon you lot would much rather see that play out in the actual story and some of it's a bit "spoilery."

As for the rest, I shall be able to carry through. I've completely worked out the list of nations in the world seventeen years after Second Impact, and it really is different from what OG Sovereignty had. Here it is (categorised by continent.)

* * *

 _ **Asia**_

State of Japan

People's Republic of China

Russian Empire (the eastern half of a divided Russia, born from the uncharacteristically peaceful way the Second Civil War ended.)

Kingdom of Thailand

Vietnamese Republic (These last two threw off Chinese rule in the aftermath of the Third Sino-Japanese War.)

 _ **Americas**_

American Principate

United States of Columbia (broke off in the Second American Civil War)

Empire of Brazil (Reconstituted)

Republic of Chile

Argentine Republic

Oriental Republic of the Uruguay

 _ **Africa**_

Arab Republic of Egypt

Second Ethiopian Empire

Republic of Kenya

Republic of South Africa

Republic of Cameroon

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Republic of Ghana (All the remaining African States have a defensive pact, in reaction to a second Scramble for Africa on the part of Continental Europe as a way of preventing further British expansion.)

 _ **Middle East**_

Islamic Republic of Iran

State of Israel

Republic of Turkey

 _ **Europe**_

Imperial Isles of Britain (the nation itself. Put together with all its oversees territory, it is simply the _Empire of Great Britain_ )

Sixth French Republic (if you're wondering why Belgium isn't on here, it's because France annexed the ruined nation it in all but name after the _The Euro-Britannic War_.)

Kingdom of Spain

Portuguese Republic

German Empire (Berlin did to Holland what Paris did to Belgium. All whilst reclaiming a whole load of Polish territory that was once German as compensation for providing aid during the _Euro-Russian War._ )

Kingdom of Sweden

Swiss Confederation

Republic of Austria (a protectorate of the German Empire)

Hungary

Czech Republic

Slovak Republic

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Republic of Bulgaria

Hellenic Republic (Greece)

Kingdom of Italy (in the chaos of a world filled with suffering and war, the past can be an attractive place. Conservatism won out, and a scion of the House of Savoy was called to fill the long empty throne as a constitutional monarch.)

* * *

That's all of them. It's a damn sight shorter than the list would have been in 1999, but that's for reasons you're likely familiar with by now. This is a Lord Sovereign story after all!

Another change I've made is in terms of SEELE. As part of a massive overhaul of this organization, they have been renamed. SEELE is now the "Holy Path", to further amp up how much of a religious order they are. The top title of the Path is "Hierophant" as if that doesn't hammer the point home.

Now, one or two questions of my own. I'm thinking of renaming one or two things. Firstly, Tokyo-3 itself…who calls a City, "Tokyo-3?" The closest we get to that is "New York." In SoE (Sovereignty of Evangelion), Tokyo-2 would have been Kyoto and I have no idea why they'd rename such an ancient city, so it should remain as Kyoto. Therefore, Tokyo-3 doesn't quite fit to my mind. Do you think "Hakone City" or something along those lines could work?

And here's a controversial one; I'm thinking of changing Asuka's name. My reasons are as thus, in SoE both her and her mother identified far more with their German heritage than their Japanese. This makes me think that Kyoko would give her daughter more of a European/German name than "Asuka." I was thinking "Anna" could work nicely, especially with her family name of "von Zeppelin" (the Soryu part might just disappear altogether.) So, what do you think, Asuka Zeppelin Soryu (as it was in OG Sovereignty) or Anna von Zeppelin? Or something in between, I'm eager to hear your thoughts.

As for a nice segment of story, I just feel so damn generous that I shall give you about a thousand words. Behold, the opening of Sovereignty of Evangelion: Arrival.

* * *

" _The truth is irrefutable. Second Impact changed this world forever and for the better. Its wrath and ruin swept the old order and all its corruption away, allowing our glorious nation to rise from the ashes and show all mankind the righteousness of our creed. The strong must rule the weak for the betterment of all.."_

 _ **Princeps Henry Abrams, Chicago Rally, 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **July 2004**_

 _The survivors called it Second Impact._

 _On the 13_ _th_ _of September 2000, according to official reports, a meteor descended upon Antarctica. The ensuing cataclysms killed four billion._

 _Seventeen years later, the ice caps are gone and the world is gripped by perpetual summer. Meanwhile, new empires bloodily carve themselves into history. Technology has leaped forward, bettering our lives whilst enhancing our ability to wage war._

 _Man's trials are not over, however._

 _From the shadow of Impact comes its deadliest legacy. Seraphim, beings of unfathomable power awoken after eons of slumber, come to reclaim what was theirs. In doing so, they will exterminate what remains of Humanity._

 _All is not lost, though. As ever in such times, the unlikeliest heroes arise to meet the challenge._

 _Unfortunately, the Seraphim may not be our greatest concern. Something moves in the shadows, its dark goal spanning time immemorial._

XXX

 _6_ _th_ _May 2017_

He sat alone, head leaning against the hard-plastic window, bag obviously placed on the seat next to him. Around him was a sea of chaos, of passengers squashed together like tinned sardines. Everyone from Ministers of Parliament to those visiting relatives in the Capital, made the commute. The train, sleek, advanced and seamlessly running along anti-grav rails, already looked as if it had seen better days. Litter sprinkled the floor like salt on a meal, the chocolate wrapper by his feet testament to this.

Despite having his earphones mercifully jammed in, Shinji Ikari could hear his surroundings. Inane gossip and screaming children caused the fifteen-year-old to rub his brow. Every utterance was like a knife to the ear.

 _Couldn't they have driven me from Kure? It would have been quieter…_ He futilely turned up the volume on his Walkman. Alas, one of the little ones behind him was getting very upset about something.

Sighing, Shinji watched the world go by to take his mind off things. The golden sun, that life giving fruit in the heavens, bore down on the world with its unrelenting rays. No fluffy clouds obscured its power, bathing Kanagawa Prefecture in light.

Rolling hills were covered in thickets of forest, hiding the occasional crystal blue lake. All was under the watchful gaze of distant Mount Fuji. Emerald green fields stretched out intermittently, the occasional settlement even less so. Most were ancient villages and towns, the wooden, pointed and curved roofs marking them out. One or two were modern, cream concrete blocks and grey roads built upon refugee centres thrown up immediately after Impact.

 _I was born in a place like that. If I'm going to be staying around here, might as well pay Atami a visit._

Mozart flowed like a sweet river into his ears, enhancing the beauty of rural central Honshu. Despite all the screeching "brats", Shinji focused on what zipped by outside. It was more than enough to consume his attention.

"Hello." Shinji frowned, thinking he'd heard something.

"Hello." Blinking and looking to his left, he saw a plump middle-aged woman in train staff uniform, pushing a trolley. Immediately, he paused his music and removed his earphones.

"Sorry." He forced a smile.

"No trouble. Would you like anything?" She smiled back, far sweeter than he could ever manage.

Shinji looked over the various packets of sweets, crisps and cake on there, then shook his head. "I'm alright. Made myself a packed lunch and got some tea from the station."

"There's chocolate bars waiting to go here…"

"I'm fine. Really." Out of sight, his foot fidgeted in annoyance.

Her brow wrinkled, as she seemed stuck halfway between moving on and staying. "You know I've been on this train since Kure too? You've been sitting by yourself all the way."

Shinji's wish to be somewhere else slammed into a wall of overwhelming warmth. He lowered his cerulean gaze, chest tightening. "I didn't have anyone to travel with. Anyway, we're close to my stop, no need to worry."

"If you're sure-"

"I'm sure. But thank you for checking on me." He cut her off with a lazy wave of his hand.

 _It's nice to know someone cares._

Nodding reluctantly, she moved on. Shinji was alone again, pondering what to do next. With all the noise around him, the young man was tempted to put his earphones back in. That, however, would run the risk of being caught off guard again. Deciding against it, he opened his black bag and retrieved a hefty tome with fading red cover.

A childish, infatuated grin spread across his lips. Shinji felt as if he were seven years old again, holding this for the first time.

 _Best book ever._

He could count the number of books on his rotting bookshelf back home with one hand, though they were all special in their own way. This, however, was precious beyond the rest, one of his treasures. Others had grown up watching Gundam or Dragonball; his great fictional journey had been to Middle Earth, with Tolkein as his guide.

Picking up where he left off, Shinji delicately turned the well-worn pages. Reaching up, he plucked his insulated plastic cup of tea from its holder, and gently put the hot liquid to his lips. Warmth shivered through him, contenting the young man. Never mind wailing children, he had a good book and a nice drink.

Lifting his angular head, Shinji tried to picture the Shire in the heart of rural Japan with little luck. Still, although it had lessened, his smile had not faded. Even though it was a symptom of unyielding thirty-degree Celsius temperatures, it was a beautiful day.

* * *

Was that any good? Because I personally found it to be quite a bit better than OG Sovereignty's beginning. Now, with all that out of the way, shall we get down to some questions?

(Another one from the "Guest" chap.) _Good to see you back. Seems the rewrite proceeds at a good pace and you make good on your intended goals there._

 _So first of all, Tribulations and Truth are much better titles, even without knowing what the two books will be about, definitely go with them. A hidden meaning behind the name of the series; Now you made me curious. Will the Evangelions prior to the start of the series be regularly used as ultimate weapons among the most powerfull nations (similar to what Britain did with Samuel, only taken a step further); Or is perhaps SEELE's end goal here not Instrumentality but achieving Godhood by fusing themselves with the Evangelions; Am I close;_

 _Pity that the terms S2-engine and AT-fields will no longer be used, I always liked those, through the new names you plan to introduce are much more realistic in that there is less Rule of Cool in play (Absolute Terror field might sound awesome, but what organisation/government would stand for such a name) and more naming after famous people and I presume the guy who invented/discovered these things._

 _Something I wanted to ask. What is the line of succesion for the Seraph throne and the actual familial relashionships there. Despite calling all of them his children apparently Rogziel and the Seraphs before him were only the nephews of the current ruler, with Zeruel as heir. So could you make us a family tree perhaps; Also what are the limits of Rei's telepathic abilities and may she develop more in time;_

 _On a different topic, re-reading your previous announcement, do you plan to finish the entire series and then start posting at a regular schedule;_

 _Until next time._

I'm glad you find the titles satisfactory. I fear you aren't very close at all (the sort of hidden meaning isn't very "earth shattering" or anything of the like.) The first use of Evas will be against the Seraphim, but without said existential threat, they'd have been used as weapons of war without doubt.

You are right on all accounts with that. I've never been too fond for the rule of cool, especially when it starts breaking other rules.

I would be happy to do a family tree, but I can explain the line of succession. Zeruel (placeholder name at the moment) is heir because he is the most powerful, that's about it. The Seraphim are not very advanced, as that seems quite akin as to how the Kings of ancient Sumeria got their thrones. On the other hand, that's because in many respects the Seraphim are quite backwards in comparison to us. Rei's telepathy is very basic, but it can and will be developed upon (oh you shall see, my dear readers.) Nothing too drastic of course, but developed nonetheless. However, causing actual harm is a bit beyond this sort of telepathy.

Hopefully I can do that, and it would be preferable. Either way, I will have plenty of "Arrival" written up by August 2019, so it's not impossible that I'll have finished with this book by then.

(Another guest) _Something I forgot to ask before. When you write the various OC's do you have any real-life actors in mind you portray them after and if yes whom._

This one is difficult. Real life actors aren't something I really thought of, as I like picturing things in anime format. Same goes for the voices, despite the canon cast retaining theirs.

I haven't entirely figured out how the OC's will sound, aside from Lord Nethrin (renamed Netzach. Because why would the Duarudh use Hebrew names?) having Keith David's Arbiter voice.

(Another guest) _Since you are currently rewriting this story I think that now is a good time to make a recommendation regarding one of this fics most glaring weaknesses. The Pilots, or more accurately the number of Pilots. You introduce the various Pilots we will see over the course of the story shortly after the defeat of Ramiel, yet until now only Asuka and Samuel have joined Shinji and Rei in the fight. I get the storytelling reasons for this. Introducing too many all at once will be very awkward and make ot difficult to give everyone the time necessary to develop as characters. Not to mention make the earlier fights perhaps too easy._

 _However there is no in-story reason for the absense of the other Pilots. Sure SEELE never had a exact timetable so the presence of only Rei at the beginning can be handwaved. But as soon as Sachiel was defeated every single nation with a Evangelion would have moved heaven and earth to see their Pilot moved to Japan. Not only because of the prestige of saving the world, but primarly because of a lack of trust. We saw the various nation leaders openly expressing their distrust to Gendo and plotting his death as soon as they don't need him a nymore (both completely justified reactions really) and its obvious to everyone that the moment the last Angel is dead there will be a massive battle-royal over which nation will have sole control over the Evangelions. People like these would never leave the fate of the world solely in the hands of Gendo and a hand-full of teenagers if they didn't have control of said teenagers in the first place. I hope you will sole this problem, either by introducing them more swiftly or by giving plausible in-story reasons for their absense._

This is actually one of my biggest motivators for starting again, as I realised how badly I cocked up in this regard. Now, whilst the Pilots certainly won't arrive all at once, they'll all be there by the end of the second "book" and the showdown with Nethrin. Hopefully that shall suffice as an answer. The only things keeping them are the speed at which the Seraphim attack, various diplomatic troubles, and transport time for those fuckhuge things known as Evangelions.

(From that "Seeking Professional Help" chap. I do hope he finds that help in the end…) _All good._

 _I just hope you do the same thing with Rei, as what you did with her character in this story was probably one of the things I liked most about it._

Hmm, I presume you mean as in her brotherly relationship with Shinji and building on that? If so, I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that'll be more relevant than ever in SoE. In fact, it's quite a major part of Shinji and Rei's development in Arrival. If you mean as in all the stuff to do with Gendo…I feel I did a massive disservice to him in OG Sovereignty and will be revising quite a bit about him. If that is the case, my apologies, but it doesn't feel right.

Well, almost three thousand words this time. Hopefully it shall keep your interest until next month. In the meantime, as evidenced by that poor chap who most recently left a review, I need to put up updates on my other stories as I fear they'll be getting similar treatment to Sovereignty (long breaks for me to put everything together properly). If only I'd planned it out better in the first place…alas.

Until next time, my dear readers.


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